Russia today

[blindpig]

Larry Johnson: Russia Ain’t a Chinese Sidecar
April 19, 2025
By Larry Johnson, Substack, 4/16/25

I want to draw your attention to an article by A. Wess Mitchell that appeared in the National Interest in August 2021. The article, A Strategy for Avoiding Two-Front War, is an excellent summary of how the US foreign policy elite view the world — i.e., the United States faces two formidable enemies, Russia and China, and we need to figure out a way to screw them over and maintain our hegemony. But Mitchell is not engaged in an academic exercise… he prepared a version of this paper for the Pentagon Office of Net Assessment in fall 2020. This was a road map for the war in Ukraine — i.e., provoke Russia into attacking Ukraine and then, with Western help, beat the hell out of them. [https://nationalinterest.org/feature/st ... war-192137]

I learned of this article today while listening to Alexander Mercouris. Mr. Mitchell is an intelligent, well-educated man, but he is captive to an ideology and world view that plagues the Deep State. He conjures up a Manichean-world, portraying Russia and China as ravenous imperialists hell-bent on devouring the peace loving countries of the world, while touting the United States as the force for good. He ignores the fact that the United States, not Russia or China, has been the one country during the last 70-years that has launched multiple color revolutions and relentlessly attacked and pillaged scores of nations around the world. His piece has one purpose — create a straw man, only in this case it is straw men, to justify US military expansion, but doing so under the guise of diplomacy.

Mitchell correctly acknowledges that the United States lacks the military strength and resources to simultaneously engage both Russia and China. At least he is not insane. He discusses three diplomatic options that could be employed to contain Russia and China:

Option 1: “Flip” the weaker. Perhaps the most common form of sequencing is to align with the weaker of two rivals in order to concentrate resources on the stronger. This is the method that Edwardian Britain used when it recruited Tsarist Russia—against which it had waged a decades-long cold war in Central Asia no less intense than our own—into an alliance against Imperial Germany.

Option 2: Defer competition with the stronger. A second sequencing strategy is to delay rivalry with the stronger of two opponents in order to deal conclusively with the weaker. The mid-sixteenth-century Republic of Venice employed such a strategy to deflect the threat of the rising Ottoman Empire and deal conclusively with its mainland rival Milan. A similar logic guided Britain’s ill-fated quest in the 1930s to appease Germany in order to prioritize naval resources for the Far East and buy time for rearmament in Europe.

Option 3: Co-opt both rivals. The third and most difficult, but perhaps most elegant, solution for the simultaneity problem has been to transcend it entirely—to negate its pressures by co-opting both rivals into cooperative structures that prevent or mitigate conflict. This was the method that the nineteenth-century Austrian statesman Klemens von Metternich used to enmesh Austria’s flanking rivals, France and Russia, in a system of concert diplomacy that kept the peace in Europe for almost a century.

So what does Mr. Mitchell propose? The war in Ukraine:

“The leitmotif of the Russia-in-Europe policy should be adamantine resistance to Russian expansion culminating in a decisive defeat for Russia’s present aims in Europe’s borderlands. If history is any indication, Russia only takes détente with an adversary seriously after it has been forced to do so by a defeat or serious setback. This was as much a precondition for Ronald Reagan’s success at Reykjavík after the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan as it was for the English statesmen who brokered the Anglo-Russian entente after Russia’s defeat at Port Arthur in 1905. Attempts to reach détente before Russia has suffered such a setback are not only likely to fail, they are also likely to be counterproductive insofar as they implicitly concede territory and validate the wager of Russia’s current leaders that renewed empire in the west is achievable by force of arms.

“The equivalent of Port Arthur or Afghanistan today is Ukraine. The United States should wish to see Russia suffer a military rebuff of sufficient magnitude to prompt its leaders to reassess their assumptions about the permissiveness of the post-Soviet space as a preferred zone of strategic expansion. America can help bring about this outcome much as it did in Afghanistan: by providing locals the means to better resist Russia at higher volumes than it has done to date and encouraging European allies to do the same. And we should significantly raise the costs for cyber and other attacks on the United States, including via reciprocal attacks on Russian critical infrastructure and by sanctioning Putin’s inner circle and the secondary market for Russian bonds.

“This pain, however, must have a goal beyond simply punishment; namely, to inflict a defeat for strategic effect, with the calculated aim of convincing Russia that its chosen path of westward expansion is closed. By contrast, U.S. policy toward Russia-in-Asia should be calibrated to encourage a redirection of Russia’s focus and energies in this direction. Such a policy would consist of economic, military, and political planks.”

There you have it. If you think the ghouls at the Pentagon tossed this paper into the trash or filed it away in a cavernous warehouse, you are naive. Mr. Mitchell provided the raison d’etre for provoking Russia into attacking Ukraine, and the strategy for supplying Ukraine with weapons, intelligence and money.

This article is laced with many false, wrongheaded assumptions. For example, Mitchell assumes that Russia’s economy is weak and incapable of matching Western military output. Whoops! How did that turn out?

Another misguided, erroneous assumption — and it is not unique to Mr. Mitchell, it also is embraced by most of the Deep State strategists — is that Russia is the prison-bitch with respect to China, and can eventually be convinced to break with Beijing. Mitch writes:

“By widening the power disparity between China and Russia, the pandemic has heightened Russia’s economic dependency on China as a source of capital, markets, and international political support. Paradoxically, the very fact of this deepening dependency is likely to increase Russian fear of becoming a sidecar to Beijing’s ambitions and create incentives for Moscow to reorient its foreign policy.”

I have been astounded by the number of US experts and pundits who fervently believe that the relationship between Russia and China is superficial and temporary. They genuinely believe that the United States can cynically play Russia off against China, and that neither country is smart enough to discern the US ploy. I asked Foreign Minister Lavrov about this very thing. He scoffed at the notion. While Lavrov noted that Russia and China, by virtue of their respective histories, have some differences, they are fundamentally united to counter the imperialist ambitions of the West. Russia and China have entered into a comprehensive, strategic partnership that encompasses defense, manufacturing, trade, finance and diplomacy.

The war in Ukraine, the genocidal policy of Israel in West Asia, the threat to destroy Iran and the tariff war against China are not separate, unrelated conflicts. The Russian and Chinese leaders understand this and are acting in concert to counter the US divide-and-conquer strategy. That is why Russia and China conducted a joint-military exercise with Iran in the first week of March. That is why Russian, Chinese and Iranian diplomats met twice in March — first in Beijing and then, a week ago, in Moscow. They are coordinating policies and discussing strategies for dealing with the threat posed by the United States. I do not think that Donald Trump and his team of bobble heads comprehend this.

https://natyliesbaldwin.com/2025/04/lar ... e-sidecar/

(The Russian liberals are whining again...)

The Bell: Russians’ happiness hits decade-high
April 19, 2025
The Bell, 4/1/25

Russians’ wellbeing levels surge in face of war, sanctions and repression

Despite being hit with unprecedented Western sanctions, the war with Ukraine has been accompanied by a noticeable increase in the well-being of Russians. A new study has revealed the extent of the domestic feel-good factor, with economists at the Bank of Finland Institute for Emerging Economics (BOFIT) finding the level of Russians’ satisfaction with their household and personal circumstances has hit its highest in a decade.

-To understand how the restructuring of Russia’s economy during wartime affected Russians, economists Sinikka Parviainen (BOFIT) and William Pyle (Middlebury College, USA) used data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Service (RLMS), which has been conducted by the Higher School of Economics almost every year since the 1990s. This research tracks the economic well-being of Russian households and individuals with a sample size of around 6,000-8,000 households and 17,000-21,000 people.

-The economists looked at RLMS data from 2013-2023, scrutinising responses to the questions: “how satisfied with life are you right now?” and “how satisfied with your financial circumstances are you right now?”. They also looked at whether households had made large purchases over the past year, how much they spent on cultural events and how long they could maintain their current lifestyle if they lost their main source of income.

-They concluded that the first two years of Russia’s invasion — 2022 and 2023 — saw the highest levels of general satisfaction, and specific financial satisfaction had also returned to 2014 levels for the first time. That year is seen as a benchmark before Russia was plunged into an economic crisis following the annexation of Crimea, imposition of Western sanctions and an oil price crash.

-Large purchases fell to a minimum in 2022 but demand for non-food goods has since increased faster than inflation and wages, in line with The Bell’s earlier calculations. There was also a sharp rise in the proportion of households spending money on entertainment: in 2023 this reached 2018 levels, the researchers noted. The number of respondents who said they would be able to last more than a few months on their savings reached a 10-year high.

-These findings correspond with Russia’s official statistics which also point to improved financial circumstances since the start of the war. In 2023, real incomes in Russia not only returned to 2013 levels after a decade of lost living standards, but surpassed the pre-Crimea level by 5%, the researchers highlighted.

-There are no surprises as to the cause — a huge increase in state spending on the invasion and the military-industrial complex that has driven record labor shortages and pushed wages up across the economy. The high salaries offered by the state to people sent to work at the front, as well as those paid to soldiers (from 200,000 rubles a month) have played a big part, and the main winners have been residents of Russia’s poorest regions, which have recorded an unusually sudden increase in bank deposits.

Why the world should care

Putin’s regime is unlikely to face any internal threat as long as Russians’ well-being and overall happiness is on the rise.

Are Russia’s war emigrants heading home?

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of Russians left the country. Most of them were highly-skilled personnel who could work remotely or find jobs abroad. The Russian authorities are sticking to their story that most of those who were “scared off” at the start have since returned. And by the end of the third year of the war, foreign media outlets started writing about Russia’s brain drain being replaced by an influx. However, as new research by OutRush shows, the number of Russians that have actually returned since summer 2023 is no more than 8%.

-In July 2024 The Bell calculated that since 2022 the most modest estimate for the number of people that had left Russia and not returned stood at around 650,000. The Russian authorities initially insisted that most who left, either after the invasion or after the September 2022 mobilization later returned. The topic of Russian emigres returning home has been picked up by analysts and media outlets, some of which estimated return rates ranging from 15% to 45%.

-But researchers Emil Kamalov (European University Institute, Florence), Ivetta Sergeyeva (Stanford University) and Karolina Nugumanova (Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa) have conducted their own measurements as part of the OutRush project, based on a sample of 8,500 Russian emigrants living in more than 100 countries from summer 2023 to 2024.

-OutRush’s research suggests that, from 2023 to 2024, there has been no mass return to the motherland. The survey showed that over the year-long period studied, only 8% of emigrants who left Russia after the war began had returned home. A further 5% said that they planned to do so in the foreseeable future. In addition, 21% of those surveyed had moved from one country to another, while another 28% were planning to move to somewhere different, but not Russia.

-“We are seeing a kind of stabilization of migration: about 6-8% return each year, but roughly the same number leave, so the overall figures do not change very much,” the authors of the report concluded. Moreover, only 54% of those surveyed said that they would consider returning to Russia under any circumstances — including the end of the war or the fall of Putin’s regime.

-Of those Russians who left since 2022, only 1% are considering leaving Western countries such as Germany, Spain, the Netherlands or the USA. A second group of countries saw middling rates of departure — around 13-16% had left Israel, Argentina and Serbia. Russians that settled in non-EU countries were most likely to have left — like Georgia (58%), Turkey (47%), Armenia (47%), Kazakhstan (40%) and Montenegro (33%). However, sizeable numbers of them were heading to other countries, not Russia, with Serbia being the most popular destination as a second country for Russians that left after 2022.

-Among those who returned to Russia, 34% complained that they could not find good jobs abroad. Another 34% missed their homeland and 32% were dissatisfied with the country they had moved to. The numbers planning to return were higher among people who left due to fear of the draft, for family reasons or in search of better opportunities.

-By profession, 43% of those surveyed worked in tech. The most popular destinations for them were Cyprus, Spain and Portugal. Workers in the arts, culture, science education and media made up another 21% of those who left, with France, Israel and Britain the most popular destinations. Since leaving, 7% have set up their own business and 28% plan to do so. The most popular locations for starting a new enterprise were Argentina, Brazil and Spain, along with Serbia, Montenegro, Georgia and the United States.

Why the world should care

People who left Russia after 2022 were mainly motivated either by politics (their opposition to the Kremlin and the war) or fear of being mobilized. For the most part, neither group seems interested in coming back.

https://natyliesbaldwin.com/2025/04/the ... cade-high/

This 'Outrush' doesn't have any axes to grind I guess....

'The kind of people who work from home' What do they produce that is necessary? The kind of jobs that will be replaced by the AI scam first...



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Vucic Traveling To Moscow For Victory Day Doesn’t Compensate For Removing Vulin
Andrew Korybko
Apr 20, 2025



Vucic’s trip should be seen less as defying the EU and more as furthering his self-interests.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic confirmed that he’ll defy the EU by traveling to Moscow for Victory Day after the bloc warned officials from candidate countries like his not to participate in that event. This is a brave move for which he deserves applause but doesn’t compensate for him removing Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin from the government under what TASS’ source claimed was Western pressure. Vulin had recently fallen further afoul of Brussels than ever before due to some of his rhetoric.

He visited Moscow last month to meet with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during which time he blamed the US deep state and unnamed European intelligence agencies for orchestrating the latest protests that he characterized as a Color Revolution. He also accused the bloc of fueling regional conflicts in an attempt to restore its lost influence and reaffirmed that Serbia won’t sanction Russia. These statements and other related ones led to the EU unsuccessfully trying to impose sanctions against him.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reacted to the aforesaid attempt by accusing the bloc of “departing from the very standards of democracy they have long proclaimed and sought to impart to other nations, including us.” After Vulin was removed from the government during its latest reshuffle, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the bloc’s interference in Serbia’s domestic affairs, but she also suggested that mutually beneficially cooperation will continue in spite of that.

Russia had also lent credence to Vucic and Vulin’s claims that the latest protests were a Color Revolution, which Vulin said that it helped Serbia thwart, alongside dispatching FSB experts to investigate the opposition’s allegations that the authorities used a so-called “sonic weapon” to quell the unrest. From the Kremlin’s perspective, Serbia is a fraternal Slavic country with a shared history of fighting on the same side in the two World Wars, and Moscow also appreciates its rejection of Western sanctions.

About that, Serbia is unlikely to ever sanction Russia since that would amount to major self-inflicted harm to its economy and possibly prompt spontaneous protests from the country’s majority Russian-friendly population, both due to the economic damage this would cause and for principle’s sake. Nevertheless, with Vulin abruptly removed from the Serbian government despite his nearly 13 consecutive years of service in a variety of positions, political ties might inevitably weaken.

That’s because he’s a sincere Russophile who Moscow trusted to ensure the endurance of their strategic partnership under Western pressure. This was understood by Vucic, who elevated Vulin within his many governments partially for that purpose, yet Vucic just gave in to Western pressure by totally removing Vulin from his latest government and thus possibly ending his political career. Despite Zakharova’s rhetoric, which is to be expected from a diplomat of her caliber, the Kremlin certainly isn’t happy.

Putin is therefore likely planning to discuss this with Vucic during his trip to Moscow to commemorate Victory Day in order to investigate how he views the future of their partnership. These talks might be one of the real reasons why Vucic is traveling there together with fulfilling his moral obligation as Serbia’s leader and scoring political points at home. Considering this, Vucic’s trip should be seen less as defying the EU and more as furthering his self-interests, but it’s still important that he’s going.

https://korybko.substack.com/p/vucic-tr ... or-victory

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[blindpig]

“TRUMP IS THE BEST ENEMY RUSSIA HAS EVER FOUGHT AGAINST” – THE NEW GUNNERS SHOT PODCAST FROM INDIA


by John Helmer, Moscow@bears_with

“The priority for peacemaking in Europe has to be Russia and the United States. It has long been US imperial policy since 1945 to break, block, and destroy the capability of the Russians, either in the form of the Soviet Union or the Russian Federation, to form a level of partnership, cooperation, and economic and political power in Europe that threatens American hegemony in Europe. So now, at the present moment, what is Trump’s default position on that – on US hegemony? In answer, Mr Trump is the best enemy Russia has ever fought against.”

“What’s Trump’s default position if he can’t get a peace plan? Arguably right now he doesn’t know. And he doesn’t have much time before the mid-term Congressional elections come on which he’ll have to fight, not against a clear Democratic Party presidential candidate, but locally against Republicans who will be held responsible for inflation and every other ailment that Trump’s tariff war will have caused at the local level.”

Listen to this discussion with leading Indian military strategist, Lieutenant-General Ravi Shankar, aired from Chennai on April 21.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2XCzd3M0WA

The discussion opens with President Vladimir Putin’s Easter ceasefire, first predicted on Gunners Shot on March 22 — Minute 28:17 — and formally announced at a Kremlin meeting with Chief of the Russian General Staff General Valery Gerasimov on April 19.


Source: http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/76727

Gerasimov emphasized that Russian forces are now on the offensive westward, although they have yet to complete the removal of Ukrainian forces which had attacked the Kursk region last August. “All six army groups are currently on the offensive along 11 theatres of action,” Gerasimov said. “Army group North has been on the offensive to liberate districts in the Kursk Region which were invaded by the Ukrainian armed forces. Most of the invaded territory has been liberated. As of today, the liberated area is 1,260 square kilometres, which amounts to 99.5 percent of the invaded territory.”

Gerasimov limited his operational report to Kursk, and did not refer to the Russian offensive which has begun over the past week in the Zaporozhye region towards Orekhov. Putin said no more than “the situation along the line of contact is clear, it is progressing favourably for us and the Russian forces are steadily advancing their positions. Please report separately on the border area, the Kursk and the Belgorod regions as soon as combat action to clean up these territories is completed.”

The 30-hour ceasefire, Putin said, would expire at 12 am on Monday, April 21. In the podcast the possibility of an extension to May 9 was discussed as depending as much on Trump’s response, as on Ukrainian compliance. In the event, Trump ignored the ceasefire entirely.

There is no record that Trump or his advisors, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and special negotiator Steven Witkoff, had anticipated Putin’s move, or were prepared to respond to it.


Source: https://truthsocial.com


Source: https://truthsocial.com/

Instead, they waited until Sunday afternoon Washington time, forty-five minutes before the Kremlin deadline expired. Trump then tweeted that “hopefully Russia amd [sic] and Ukraine will make a deal this week.”

Trump appeared to be endorsing the terms which had been agreed by Rubio, Witkoff, and General Keith Kellogg in Paris last week in talks with a Ukrainian delegation and with French and German officials. Trump was also hinting that Witkoff would return to Moscow to press their terms at a meeting at the Kremlin. Advance notice of these Trump terms was telephoned by Rubio to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

According to Rubio, what had been agreed with the Ukrainians and the Europeans in Paris was “the outlines of a durable and lasting peace. The encouraging reception in Paris to the U.S. framework shows that peace is possible if all parties commit to reaching an agreement.”

Lavrov’s communiqué stopped just short of rejecting the shift Rubio had made towards the Ukrainian and Franco-German terms, claiming it was in “alignment with the framework of ongoing consultations between Washington and Moscow, including the recent dialogue between President of Russia Vladimir Putin and Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg. Sergey Lavrov reaffirmed Moscow’s readiness to continue collaborative efforts with American counterparts to comprehensively address the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis.”

The Rubio phrase, “encouraging reception in Paris” and Lavrov’s phrase, “the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis” reveal the US and Russia remain at loggerheads.


Source: https://truthsocial.com/

The podcast discussion of Russian and Indian relations focused on proposals for reciprocal visits to Moscow and Delhi by Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and on a new agreement by their officials last week on six new priority investment projects. Neither the Russian nor the Indian press reports have identified the project particulars.

In this context, the decline of Russian military exports to India was noted, as the Russian production lines have been redirected to accelerating the supply of materiel to the Ukraine front.

RUSSIA’S PLACE IN THE TOP-10 TABLE OF ARMS EXPORTERS, 2015-2024


Source: https://www.sipri.org/

“Arms exports by Russia dropped by 64 per cent between 2015–19 and 2020–24. Russia accounted for 7.8 per cent of global arms exports in 2020–24. The decline in Russia’s arms exports started before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In 2020 and 2021 export volumes were much smaller (ranging from 22 to 73 per cent lower) than in any year of the preceding two decades (i.e. 2000–19). This was largely as a result of a decrease in orders from China and India. In 2024 the volume of Russian arms exports remained at around the same level as in 2023, which was 47 per cent lower than in 2022. The decrease since 2022 is likely mostly related to Russia’s decision to prioritize the production of major arms for its own armed forces over those for export, the effects of multilateral trade sanctions imposed on Russia and increased pressure from the USA and its allies on states to avoid buying Russian arms.

In the final segment of the podcast, the focus is on the Quad – the US, India, Japan and Australia – as an anti-Russian, anti-Chinese force.


Summit lineup of the Quad in the US in September 2024 – left to right: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese; Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joseph Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

In the communiqué of the 2024 Quad summit, the targeting of the enemy states was oblique.“We strongly oppose any destabilizing or unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion. We condemn recent illicit missile launches [North Korea] in the region that violate UN Security Council resolutions. We express serious concern over recent dangerous and aggressive actions in the maritime domain [China]. We seek a region where no country dominates and no country is dominated—one where all countries are free from coercion, and can exercise their agency to determine their futures. We are united in our commitment to upholding a stable and open international system, with its strong support for human rights, the principle of freedom, rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and peaceful settlement of disputes and prohibition on the threat or use of force in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter… We express deep concern about countries [Russia] that are deepening military cooperation with North Korea, which directly undermines the global nonproliferation regime.”

https://johnhelmer.net/trump-is-the-bes ... more-91406

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Russian Vessels on the Line: Moscow Threatens Consequences for Baltic Provocations! | TN World

I have not commented on this heretofore, but it is high time to say that currently there is a lot of sensational, fake news on youtube with regard to the risks of war erupting between Russia and NATO.

Many of these sensational video postings come from Indian newspapers. But among them, there can be postings of a more serious nature, like the one cited here:


This one is especially interesting because it highlights the risk of armed clash in the Baltic and not from what Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron are doing to provoke the Russians with their ‘coalition of the willing’ or with the arsonist Friedrich Merz and his plans for sending Taurus long range cruise missiles to Kiev with the objective of destroying the Kerch (Crimean) bridge and other major logistical infrastructure of Russia.

The latest problems in the Baltic region are being created by Estonia, which in the past week seized an empty oil tanker on its way to Petersburg. The tanker in question is one of the Russian ‘shadow fleet’ that quite legally have been carrying Russian oil exports and so resisted European sanctions intended to cripple the Russian economy. More to the point, Estonia has just passed a law allowing its “navy” to seize, divert and even sink Russian commercial vessels in the Baltic which Estonia deems to threaten its security. The video above correctly sets out the issues.

Aside from the official protests and warnings from the Russian Ministry of Affairs spokeswoman Zakharova that the video exhibits, the Russian talk shows have been devoting attention to the Estonian provocations. Last night’s Solovyov program gave the subject ample time, with the host suggesting that Russia is ready to send military vessels to accompany its commercial ships through the Baltic waters and is ready not only to sink whatever navy Estonia thinks it has and to level the country to the ground.

We can assume that the authorities in Tallinn are watching these Russian shows and are unlikely to take actions that would precipitate the Russian response that has been sketched for them.

I close this brief note with one other observation from last night’s Solovyov show, this time from the retired colonel who regularly appears as panelist. He remarked that Merz does not know what he is talking about, since the Taurus, while a good missile, is utterly unsuited for a mission of destroying a bridge. Its main use is for destroying underground bunkers and the like. Moreover, the Ukrainians will require some period of time to put any Taurus missiles to use. It can be carried by the French fighter jets that are on promise, by the Eurofighters which are not yet on delivery schedule to Kiev, but not by the F-16s which they recently received. Surely a solution will be found to enable use of the Taurus, but not at once. Or to put it more broadly: not in time to save the necks of the floundering Ukrainian armed forces now under strong pressure from a Russian offensive.

©Gilbert Doctorow, 2025

https://gilbertdoctorow.com/2025/04/21/ ... -tn-world/

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Russia Matters: U.S. Presents Contours of Peace Plan to Europeans, Warns It Can Quit Mediating If No Progress in Coming Days
April 20, 2025
Russia Matters, 4/18/25

1.Marco Rubio warned on April 18 the U.S. will walk away from efforts to broker a Russia-Ukraine peace deal unless there are clear signs of progress in the next several days, according to Reuters and WP. Trump then said Rubio was “right in saying” that the U.S. wants to see the Russia-Ukraine war come to an end. Asked how to identify how many days that would be, Trump said, “No specific numbers of days, but quickly, we want to get it done,” according to NBC. On the prior day, Rubio and other U.S. officials1 attended a meeting with European leaders in Paris where they outline of terms to end the fighting and ease sanctions on Moscow in the event of a lasting ceasefire, according to Bloomberg. The proposal would effectively freeze the war, with Ukrainian territories now occupied by Russia remaining under Moscow’s control while Kyiv’s aspirations of joining NATO would also be off the table, according to this news agency. Rubio said he spoke with Sergei Lavrov to brief him on elements of the U.S. peace framework and that the Europeans had a central role to play in any peace pact, especially as their sanctions on Russia would likely need to be lifted to secure an accord, according to Reuters. Speaking on April 15 Trump’s special envoy Witkoff said Putin is open to a “permanent peace” deal with Ukraine and claimed the peace deal currently under discussion involves “five territories,” referring to Ukrainian regions currently occupied by Russian forces. In response to Witkoff’s comments, Zelensky said that recognizing any of Ukraine’s occupied territories as Russian is a “red line” for Kyiv.
2.Two Russian ballistic missiles struck Ukraine’s city of Sumy on Palm Sunday, killing 36 and injuring over 119. Donald Trump called the strike “horrible,” but noted that he was told Russia “made a mistake” and his administration told U.S. allies it couldn’t sign a G7 draft statement denouncing the April 13 attack. Trump also blamed Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky2 for the war,3 which he claimed to have left millions dead.4 For his part, Zelenskyy rejected Trump’s accusations and urged the U.S. leader to visit Ukraine and see the devastation caused by Russia himself. Russia’s Sergei Lavrov admitted to the strike, but claimed that it was targeting a gathering of Ukrainian military. Ukrainian authorities insisted Russian forces targeted civilians in the strike on Sumy, but An Ukrainian soldier described to WP how he was sitting at a military medal ceremony in a university building basement Sunday when two Russian ballistic missiles tore through the surrounding area in Sumy. Ukrainian government also fired Volodymyr Artiukh from the post of the Sumy Oblast governor following the strikes.5
3.Russia gained 142 square miles of Ukraine’s territory (about 1 1/2 Nantucket islands) in the past month, and its overall pace of advance has picked back up this week, according to the April 16 issue of the Russia-Ukraine War Report Card. This week’s gain of 50 square miles is nearly double the prior week’s advance of 29 square miles, according to the card. As of April 16 Russian forces occupied 112,581 square km (43,468 square miles), which constituted 18.65% of Ukraine’s territory and which is roughly equivalent to the state of Ohio, according to Ukraine’s DeepState OSINT group’s map.
4.Russia’s ruble has surged to become the best performing global currency, posting this year’s strongest gains against the dollar to outpace even the traditional safe haven of gold according to Bloomberg. The ruble has strengthened 38% versus the dollar on the over-the-counter market since the beginning of this year, data compiled by Bloomberg shows. The Russian ruble equaled 0.01216 U.S. dollars on April 14, 2025, appreciating by 3% since the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion into Ukraine on February 24, 2022, according to RM’s calculations.
5.Americans are now split on whether Russia is an ‘enemy,’ according to Pew.

https://natyliesbaldwin.com/2025/04/rus ... ming-days/

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Five Arguments Debunking Speculation About A Russian Invasion Of The Suwalki Corridor
Andrew Korybko
Apr 21, 2025



This is nothing but a recurring information warfare operation waged by the elites against their people.

The Suwalki Corridor is once again at the center of a speculative Russian invasion plan after Royal United Services Institute expert Ed Arnold fearmongered about this to German media. There’s nothing new about what he said since it’s been talked about for years and especially over the last three since the start of the special operation, but it’s a timely occasion to share five arguments debunking this claim. Here’s why Russia won’t attack Poland and/or Lithuania as part of a plot to connect Kaliningrad with Belarus:

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1. The Rzeszow Precedent Dispels Western Propaganda

Sensational Western claims about Putin being some monster, madman, or mastermind hellbent on conquering Europe are discredited by him declining to attack NATO’s military logistics hub in Poland’s Rzeszow through which 90% of the equipment that’s been given to Ukraine to kill Russians has passed. The precedent of him not risking World War III to stop the flow of Western arms into an active conflict zone in which Russians are being killed daily dispels speculation that he’ll risk it during times of peace.

2. There’s No Plausible Pretext For Taking Over That Corridor

Likewise, the Suwalki Corridor is inhabited by Poles and Lithuanians, not Russians or Belarusians who might hypothetically be oppressed and whose plight could thus serve as the pretext for an invasion. There’s accordingly no reason whatsoever for Putin to risk World War III over this sliver of territory that’s never historically been inhabited by Russians or their ethnic Belarusian kin at any significant level. Without even a semi-plausible ethno-territorial pretext, any invasion would be seen as naked aggression.

3. Any Attempt To Do So Might Also Be Very Difficult

Assuming for argument’s sake that he invades, then it likely wouldn’t be a walk in the park due to how much Poland and Lithuania are militarizing their borders. Poland also has NATO’s third-largest army and American troops are permanently deployed there too, while German ones are permanently deployed in Lithuania, thus serving as the tripwire for them directly intervening and expanding the conflict. These factors would greatly raise the risk of World War III, which Putin has done his best to avoid, breaking out.

4. Russia Would Ruin Its Hoped-For Strategic Ties With The US

Russia envisages entering into a strategic partnership with the US for shaping the post-conflict era, one which would be built upon a series of strategic resource deals, but these grand plans would be ruined if it invades NATO’s Suwalki Corridor. It therefore wouldn’t make sense for Russia to throw all that away for nothing nor for the US not to pressure its NATO partners into removing whatever credible threats they might pose for provoking a Russian invasion that would ruin this mutually beneficial arrangement.

5. The “Rogue NATO” Scenario Is Highly Unlikely

The only scenario in which Russia would risk World War III or at the very least ruin its hoped-for strategic ties with the US by invading the Suwalki Corridor is if NATO’s European members went rogue, perhaps with the UK’s encouragement, and blockaded Kaliningrad in defiance of US pressure not to. That’s highly unlikely though they wouldn’t be able to rely on the US’ military support nor its nuclear brinksmanship, which they’d require to have a fighting chance of surviving, thus making this a suicidal scenario for them.

----------

Considering the five points above, Arnold and his ilk’s speculation about a Russian invasion of the Suwalki Corridor is exposed as baseless fearmongering aimed at rallying Europe against Russia in the post-conflict era, which is meant to precondition the public into accepting higher defense spending. It’s therefore nothing but a recurring information warfare operation waged by the elites against their people, but one that’s been compellingly debunked and therefore discredits those who still peddle it.

https://korybko.substack.com/p/five-arg ... peculation

*****

The Multipolar Axis: Russia and Iran confirm strategic alliance in the image of the Moscow-Beijing partnership

Lucas Leiroz

April 19, 2025

New agreement advances the process of creating a formal multipolar system.

In a move of extreme geopolitical relevance, the Federation Council of Russia ratified, on April 16, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The treaty, initially valid for 20 years with the possibility of extension, formally seals what has already been consolidating behind the scenes: a solid, multidimensional, and profoundly strategic alliance between Moscow and Tehran.

This agreement is more than just a formalization of friendly intentions. It represents an institutional consolidation of an axis that, alongside the already established Comprehensive Partnership between Russia and China, effectively forms a multipolar block resisting the decaying Western hegemony. The Moscow-Beijing-Tehran triad is no longer merely an informal arrangement – it is a political, military, and economic architecture with solid foundations, common principles, and a shared strategic vision.

A Pact That Transcends Symbolic Diplomacy

Previously agreed upon personally by Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in January of this year, the treaty goes far beyond ceremonial protocols. It establishes concrete mechanisms for cooperation in defense, security, transportation, energy, science, culture, and international relations. One of the most strategic points is the clause that prevents either party from providing any form of assistance to military aggression against the other – effectively consolidating a robust defense cooperation platform.

The emphasis on jointly developing the North-South International Transport Corridor – which connects Russia to the Persian Gulf through Iranian territory – also represents a significant blow to the logistical and commercial hegemony of the North Atlantic. This infrastructure project, combined with China’s Belt and Road Initiative, is repositioning the gravitational centers of global trade, shifting them toward the Eurasian axis.

Similarities with the Moscow-Beijing Partnership

The treaty with Iran directly echoes the fundamentals of the Russia-China Comprehensive Partnership, established in recent years as a coordinated response to NATO expansion, the U.S. military encirclement in the Indo-Pacific, and economic militarization through sanctions. Just as with Beijing, Moscow and Tehran now formalize a “long-term, equal, and mutually beneficial” cooperation.

This symmetry between the agreements is not accidental. It reflects a shared strategic planning, based on strengthening multilateralism, rejecting external interference, and building a multipolar world order – where power centers are no longer concentrated in Washington, London, or Brussels.

End of Dependence on the West

During the signing of the treaty, Pezeshkian made it clear that Moscow and Tehran are capable of ensuring their own security and developing cooperation without relying on third parties. The message is unequivocal: the great civilizations of the East will no longer accept being treated as mere pawns in the Western game. Russia, China, and Iran understand that strengthening their bilateral and trilateral partnerships is a natural antidote to economic blackmail, hybrid warfare, and direct or indirect aggression promoted by current power centers.

A New Order in the Making

The ratification of the treaty is another firm step toward the consolidation of a new international order. No longer guided by the unilateral dictates of an exhausted power, but anchored in blocks of common interest, mutual respect between sovereign nations, and active rejection of financial and military neocolonialism.

It is too early to predict all the consequences of this treaty, but one thing is certain: the world emerging from this new alliance will be radically different from the one shaped by Washington’s architects after 1991. The 21st century no longer belongs to the West – it is being quietly and firmly shaped by an alliance that does not ask for permission to exist.

https://strategic-culture.su/news/2025/ ... rtnership/

******

The 80th Is Coming.

And the amount of excrement around it will only grow in the West. But here comes the Hollywood "History" (a euphemism for BS). This is from famous Patton movie and a completely made-up shit. However, one thing should be explained to many people who still cannot grasp realities of the Eastern Front. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Katukov



We can start, of course with the fact that Patton had a very high-pitched voice. But let's take a look at Mikhail Efimovich Katukov's track record, even from WiKi--the guy fought (successfully) at Moscow in 1941 checking Guderian's advance, Rzhev, Stalingrad, Kursk against Mainstein, Operation Bagration, Berlin Operation. I guess, many who watched this Hollywood fantasy didn't know who Katukov was. Yep, the guy played a key role in sacking of Guderian by Hitler. But who cares, right?

http://smoothiex12.blogspot.com/2025/04 ... oming.html

Growing up it was damn near impossible to find Soviet perspectives about WWII, which I did look for as I was dissatisfied with the accounts of Nazi war criminals which seemed to be all you could find about the 'Eastern Front'. The board games like 'Panzer Blitz' were hopelessly prejudiced against the Soviets on multiple levels.

We are utterly saturated in propaganda.

[blindpig]

Lavrov Asked About Eurofascism
Karl Sanchez
Apr 21, 2025



On Sunday, FM Lavrov was asked a question by Rossiya 1 TV that was likely prompted by the SVR article on Eurofascism I provided a few days ago. The basic contents of this issue relates to the EU Deep State’s need to keep the war against Russia going and thus thwart Trump’s attempt to halt it, where the attempt has now become very feeble and the opposite of Trump’s many boasts during the election campaign that he could solve the conflict almost immediately—boasts that I now see as merely a ploy to get him into office just like MAGA. For an overview of most ongoing geopolitical issues, I highly suggest watching today’s Crooke-Napolitano chat, particularly the financial aspects that begin the program as they underpin everything. And now the Lavrov Q&A:

Question: In your opinion, what has the European Union become, whose officials ban the leaders of countries from coming to Moscow?

Sergey Lavrov: There is no word that would describe this phenomenon. It is really incomprehensible (I am not being ironic now) that the European Union openly wants to revive the European ideology of Nazism, where it was born, destroyed and categorically banned by the Nuremberg Tribunal (also in Europe). Now it is being revived. Moreover, the leadership in this process belongs to the leaders of the "Brussels bureaucracy".

These are sad and alarming events. We will not put up with this. Let us make every effort to ensure that this ideology does not raise its head, that it is destroyed once and for all, and that Europe nevertheless returns to its values, which are not to "cut everyone to the same brush", to put everyone "under arms", to set them against Europe's competitors, against those whose values, views and beliefs are not liked by European leaders, "Fuhrers" and other "commissars".

I hope we will get a majority in European capitals of those who do not want to give up their roots and submit to some kind of bureaucracy, especially with an openly Nazi flavor. [My Emphasis]

At the SMO’s outset when its second goal of denazification was announced, I wrote that it would need to be extended beyond Ukraine as it was already present within EU/NATO. As the SMO continued, the intensification of Euronazism became more open. That those preaching its revival were all tutored to some degree within the Outlaw US Empire—the enabler of Nazism’s survival—should no longer be much of a surprise. That people with Nazis in their family background are now in power also isn’t some sort of fluke as it’s too widespread to be such. And now we see the alliance of the US and EU Deep States collaborating to keep the War on Ukraine’s Russians and Russia itself going despite the clear fact that Ukraine is losing.

The #1 question is, what will Russia do to forestall the following: “We will not put up with this. Let us make every effort to ensure that this ideology does not raise its head, that it is destroyed once and for all….” How far does “every effort” go? And since it was rescued and nurtured by the Outlaw US Empire, how to ensure “that it is destroyed once and for all”?

https://karlof1.substack.com/p/lavrov-a ... urofascism

******
Russia: The main obstacle to the globalist project of world reordering

Lucas Leiroz

April 21, 2025

Moscow continues to block the realization of globalist elite plans.

The current war between Russia and NATO in Ukraine is far from being merely a regional conflict. Behind the military clashes and media propaganda lies a much deeper confrontation: a struggle between sovereignty and global domination, between a multipolar world and the imposition of a centralized governance serving the interests of the transnational financial elite. In this context, Russia emerges as the last major obstacle to the globalist agenda, which seeks to completely reshape the international order—eliminating any country that resists the project of forced unification under Western technocratic control.

From “Germany Must Perish” to “Russia Must Perish”

To understand the logic behind current events, it is essential to recall the historical context of the 20th century. In 1941, Theodore Kaufman published the infamous book Germany Must Perish!, advocating for the total annihilation of Germany and the German people as a condition for world peace. Obviously, Kaufman’s absurd thesis greatly contributed to German extremism and the rise of racist revanchism. Today, that same logic has simply been redirected: the target is now Moscow. The prevailing narrative in the West no longer seeks understanding or coexistence, but rather the complete weakening and dismantling of the Russian state.

This hostility did not arise out of nowhere. What bothers the globalist power centers—based primarily in London, Washington, and Brussels—is the fact that Russia continues to refuse to surrender its national sovereignty, its distinct civilizational model, and its natural wealth. A country with immense energy and military potential that rejects subordination to rules dictated by entities like the World Economic Forum or the IMF automatically becomes an enemy.

Ukraine’s Role and the Geopolitical Siege

Ukraine has become the centerpiece of the strategy to contain Russia. The 2014 coup, openly supported by Washington and Brussels, marked the starting point of a new phase of hybrid war against Moscow. Ukraine’s integration into Western structures, the training of its armed forces by NATO, and the continuous sabotage of the Minsk agreements left Russia no choice but to launch the Special Military Operation.

It is important to note that the globalist elite never had any genuine interest in Ukraine’s stability. The country served as a pressure tool, a platform for military provocation, and a source of strategic resources: fertile agricultural lands, gas deposits, rare minerals. More than that, it acted as a barrier to prevent a rapprochement between Berlin and Moscow—a potentially devastating alliance for Anglo-American dominance.

The Trump Factor

Donald Trump’s election in 2024 reignited an unexpected hope: that the Western axis of power could be broken from within. Unlike the Washington political establishment, Trump does not represent the interests of the transnational elite, but rather a nationalist and pragmatic faction of the American bourgeoisie that sees peace with Russia as an opportunity, not a threat.

The emerging rapprochement between Trump and Putin—even if limited—suggests a possible reconfiguration of international alliances. The globalist project, which viewed the war in Ukraine as a way to weaken Moscow and solidify control over Europe, must now deal with the possibility of a ceasefire that could further strengthen Russia’s position.

A Captured Europe on a Suicidal Path

Meanwhile, the European Union remains blind in its obedience to globalist interests. Leaders such as Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der Leyen, and Kaja Kallas do not act as statesmen, but as colonial administrators of the globalist agenda. Rapid militarization, constant war propaganda, and even campaigns urging civilians to prepare for conflict are clear signs that Brussels is committed not to peace—but to destruction.

Russia, therefore, resists not only for itself. It also resists on behalf of those in Europe and beyond who still believe in the possibility of a world based on civilizational balance, not subjugation to speculative capital. The true battle of our time is not between democracy and autocracy, as they want us to believe—but between sovereignty and servitude.

https://strategic-culture.su/news/2025/ ... eordering/

******

By unknown means
April 22, 17:00


The Watchman, No. 621, 1979

For reference: Yuri Fedorovich Orlov (August 13, 1924, Moscow - September 27, 2020, Ithaca, New York) - Soviet physicist and human rights activist, member of the dissident movement. Founder and first leader of the Moscow Helsinki Group since 1976. Professor at Cornell University since 1986.



Since 1963 - Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, since 1968 - Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR.
In 1963-1964, he was a part-time employee of the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk.
Senior Researcher at the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation of the USSR Academy of Sciences (since 1972).
In 1986, Orlov was stripped of his Soviet citizenship and forcibly expelled from the USSR on October 5, 1986, in exchange for Soviet intelligence officer Gennady Zakharov, who had been arrested in the United States.
In 1990, Mikhail Gorbachev restored Soviet citizenship to Orlov and 23 other prominent emigrants.

PS: as of 1979, there were 1,346,658 prisoners in the USSR (including 118,790 people in medical-labor sanatoriums)


https://poltora-bobra.livejournal.com/1581600.html - zinc

Oh, that's an old manipulation, when they took all the GULAG prisoners and declared them "political prisoners", transferring even criminals to "victims of Stalin's regime".
For example, there are currently 2.2 million people in the United States. More than during most of Stalin's years. If desired, they can all be declared political prisoners based on "polls".
Well, returning to the USSR, the peak of imprisonments after Stalin fell precisely during the Gorbachev era.

P.S. The Moscow Helsinki Group was liquidated in 2023 at the request of the Russian Ministry of Justice. For a long time, the notorious US citizen Lyudmila Alekseeva was in charge there.



Well, that's the icing on the cake.

USAID in Russia. Who was fed by the US Agency for International Development

The recipients of grants from the USA were Alexei Navalny's FBK**, Golos**, Memorial**, liquidated by decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, the Moscow Helsinki Group **, the Sakharov Center**, the Agora organization** and many others.

https://zavtra.ru/blogs/usaid_v_rossii_ ... _razvitiyu

These holy people cannot lie. Especially for American money.

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/9796965.html

Google Translator

[blindpig]

THE TRUMP LINE IN MOSCOW, REVEALED BY VZGLYAD AND YEVGENY KRUTIKOV



by John Helmer, Moscow @bears_with

Yevgeny Krutikov is a former Russian military intelligence officer in the Balkans who now writes politico-military and intelligence analyses for Vzglyad. Because of the intention of his sources and their target audience, Krutikov’s papers are more a bellwether of formed policy thinking than influencer of policy decisions yet to be made.

Krutikov is also an Afrikaans-speaking specialist on Africa, a bird fancier, and a pin-up devotee. His posts of birds and girls appear regularly in his Telegram channel Mudraya Ptitsa (lead images).*

Krutikov has just published a report entitled “How will the reform of the State Department affect Russia’s interests”. This is an analysis of a New York Times publication of the day before, reporting the leak of a “draft of a Trump administration executive order proposes a drastic restructuring of the State Department”. The US newspaper concluded: “It was not immediately clear who had compiled the document or what stage of internal debates over a restructuring of the State Department it reflected. It is one of several recent documents proposing changes to the department, and internal administration conversations take place daily on possible actions. Some of the ideas have been debated among U.S. officials in recent weeks, though it is unclear to what degree they would be adopted or how active the draft is, officials said.”

In Krutikov’s analysis, there are two conclusions of fact expressed ideologically, the first leading to the second. In contrast to “the conservative ideology with which Trump came to power”, “the key moment for maintaining tension between the United States and Russia was precisely the imposition of ‘values’ artificially invented by America on the whole world. The withdrawal from the diplomatic practice of ‘promoting democracy’ and the liberal-leftist agenda is in itself a positive phenomenon…This environment consists almost entirely of liberals and leftists, and Trumpists are rare there. Consequently, there is simply no one to formulate new principles of foreign policy in a concentrated form.”

Neither of these answers directly the question of Russians interests which Krutikov posed in the title. They can be inferred in a third, implied conclusion: the “liberal agenda” and “leftist ideology” are anathema to Russian interests — because they are in retreat in Washington and absent in Moscow, and because “the conservative ideology with which Trump came to power” is shared by the Russians, the end-of-war terms the Trump Administration is proposing do not threaten Russian interests.

The Russian text has been translated verbatim without editing, illustration, reference, or clarification.


Left, Yevgeny Krutikov in an undated photograph; right, Krutikov’s essay in Vzglyad, April 21: https://vz.ru/world/2025/4/21/1327395.html The illustration shows a protestor with the flag of Palestine outside a US consulate building.

April 21, 2025
How will the reform of the State Department affect Russia’s interests
By Yevgeny Krutikov

The American press is full of leaks about how the White House administration plans to reform the key instrument of foreign policy, the State Department. Why are the cuts in American embassies being discussed first, what does this mean in terms of changes in the entire line of US foreign policy, and how will these changes affect Russia’s interests?

The New York Times (NYT) newspaper reported that US President Donald Trump may sign an order this week to reduce the activities of US embassies in Africa. Special programs and the central office of the State Department may also be radically reduced. Later, Secretary of State Mark Rubio denied these reports, calling them a canard, but, as they say, the residues have remained. And there is no smoke without fire, especially against the background of the fire that is burning in the CIA and the US Department of Defense.

According to the American newspaper, the decree implies a radical restructuring of the State Department, including the closure of US embassies in many countries of the African continent. The possible reduction of the bureau dealing with climate change, migration and human rights issues is mentioned. Departments dealing with the so-called “gender policy” will also be eliminated.

It is noted that the most serious change will be the elimination of the office in charge of policy in Africa. It will be replaced by the office of the US Special Envoy for Africa, which will report to the White House National Security Council. Last week, the same NYT wrote that the United States would close 10 embassies and 17 consulates, while some others would be “consolidated.”

Despite Mark Rubio’s denials, there will certainly be cuts. There are several reasons for this. Not to mention that all these transformations may indirectly indicate what American diplomacy may look like in the coming years.

Firstly, the work of Elon Musk’s team to reduce government spending is still in full swing. The US State Department is indeed significantly inflated due to functions that traditional foreign policy has never been characterized by. For example, everything related to the liberal “agenda” cannot be integrated into classical diplomacy in any way and had a strong impact on US regional policy earlier. And besides, the promotion of the “agenda” (from “green” to “gender” with “human rights”) contradicts the conservative ideology with which Trump came to power.

Here, a double effect is obtained for the White House: the administration gets rid of both unnecessary expenses for the maintenance of redundant areas in the State Department and a hostile ideological burden.

The massive reduction and “consolidation” of embassies in Africa is striking. But if the liquidation of the embassy in Lesotho can somehow be explained (the country is an enclave inside South Africa, the population and resources are tiny, and it eats a lot of money), then the reduction of the embassy in South Africa itself and the liquidation of the consulate in Durban looks strange. South Africa is a key African country with the largest resources and potential on the continent, as well as the ambitions of a regional leader. Ending diplomatic relations with it is an unexpected move.

At the same time, relations between the United States and South Africa are currently experiencing a serious crisis, including the expulsion of ambassadors and military attachés. This is mainly due to the personal position of Elon Musk, who has existential claims to his natal homeland. So far, his views on the inner life of South Africa – turbulent and difficult to understand from the outside – coincide with the views of Donald Trump, but this will not last forever. It is quite possible that such targeted liquidations of “superfluous” embassies will become the positions that will be adjusted in the process of State Department reforms.

On the other hand, in the United States, according to the NYT, they plan to liquidate all consulates in France (Rennes, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Lyon and Marseille) and two in Germany (Dusseldorf and Leipzig). Externally, this also fits into the strategy of “cost optimization”. Geographically, for example, France is a well–connected country, and if an American needs consular services, he can easily get to Paris and solve his problems. The situation is similar in Germany, and American military personnel stationed there since 1945 enjoy the right of full extraterritoriality and do not need consular services.

The embassies in Malta and Luxembourg are also under threat of liquidation, as well as several additional consular posts in other countries, mainly in Southern Europe.

All of this can be viewed in the context of a general review of U.S. relations with its European allies and the EU as a whole.

Until Trump’s second term in the White House, US-European relations were within the framework of a transatlantic cooperation strategy which had developed back in the twentieth century. The Trump administration is not satisfied with this outdated strategy; Trump is not at all ready to participate in various kinds of “historically formed” processes. Trump perceives such traditions as frameworks of behaviour imposed on him by liberals and the “deep state”, which must be razed to the ground so as not to interfere with earning money. And in this context, a massive diplomatic presence in European countries is completely unnecessary. Well, really, why do we need an American consulate in Edinburgh?

It is quite possible that American diplomatic missions in the countries of the former USSR will also be reduced, although the NYT does not mention this. Apparently, the White House administration does not yet have a clearly formulated doctrine regarding the post-Soviet space. Abandoning the policy of “promoting democracy” will sooner or later lead to a reduction in the diplomatic presence and “system of influence” of the liberal circles of the United States in the post-Soviet space, especially in those countries and regions that the EU does not reach.

“Redundant” consulates in Asia may also be reduced. Meanwhile, it is striking that the United States, for example, will not physically reduce consulates in Japan, but will simply bring everyone together in one room in Tokyo. Again, this is not only a “cost optimization solution”, but a political action: the strategic partnership regime with Japan remains in place, as well as Tokyo’s special role for the United States. In South Korea, the consulate in the port of Busan will be liquidated after all.

All this, of course, does not yet lead to a full-fledged change in the strategy of US foreign policy, but the contours of the new system are beginning to become clearer even through such seemingly targeted actions as the reduction of foreign diplomatic missions.

Trump’s struggle with the deep state is still not visible from the outside in ideological terms. But the White House has clearly gone down the path of revising the basic principles of foreign policy, which have been shaped for decades by an internal agenda and false assumptions such as “promoting democracy” and “human rights” around the world.

Trump’s position is the so-called “return to pragmatism.” And there is a fork in this path: first, the White House may follow the path of inventing some new doctrine that takes into account changes in the modern world compared to the twentieth-century system. But so far there is no such trend.

In the United States, foreign policy and diplomacy are considered the pinnacle of humanitarian knowledge. Americans as a whole are focused on internal problems, and only high-minded representatives of the academic community have knowledge about the outside world. This environment consists almost entirely of liberals and leftists, and Trumpists are rare there. Consequently, there is simply no one to formulate new principles of foreign policy in a concentrated form.

As a result, Trump and his entourage are following this path intuitively, hiding behind “cost cutting,” “optimization,” and the personal opinion of Elon Musk, who, as a last resort, can be blamed for any local failure. But even such “steps in the dark” in matters of foreign policy already demonstrate not so much the search for a new path as the return of Washington to around the 1930s. At that time, US foreign policy was determined solely by economic expediency. Even the restoration of diplomatic relations with Soviet Russia was due to lobbying pressure from banking circles, which insisted on at least partial recognition by Moscow of the tsarist debts.

Ideology did not play a special role for the United States at that time. Even the Second World War was not considered a clash of ideologies in Washington until the very last moment, and the involvement of the United States in the war was the result of an economic clash with the unrestrained expansion of Japan.

On the other hand, the foreign policy doctrines of the United States of that period were sometimes shaped by specific internal lobbying. We can still see the remnants of this phenomenon. For example, the eternal support of Israel is largely determined by the influence of the largest Protestant communities in the United States, believers in Messianism and the construction of a new Temple. It looks strange from the outside, but this is an internal political feature of the United States. In other words, part of US foreign policy still remains irrational, no matter how much Trump and his entourage try to reduce everything to money, “new industrialization” and rare earths.


By the end of the year, the contours of the new US foreign policy will surely become clearer. In general, this is a positive phenomenon, since Washington’s foreign policy is becoming more predictable, excessive ideology is disappearing from it, and its regional aspects will be more consistent with the current balance of power. Perhaps the key moment for maintaining tension between the United States and Russia was precisely the imposition of “values” artificially invented by America upon the whole world. The withdrawal from the diplomatic practice of “promoting democracy” and the liberal-leftist agenda is in itself a positive phenomenon. To draw conclusions about how this new line corresponds to Russian interests, it is worth waiting for the regional aspects of the change in Washington’s foreign policy doctrine to be finalized.

[*] The lead images were published on his Telegram platform by Krutikov, left to right, on March 8, April 1, and April 8.

https://johnhelmer.net/the-trump-line-i ... more-91431

You would think that a Russian would know the difference between the 'Left' and what passes for 'the left' in the USA, which is liberal shenanigans . But it suits the conservative to conflate the two. And it suits the liberals too as they need something to differentiate themselves from the other capitalist party.

Trump will be gone soon enough, but the so-called 'deep state' will remain as continuity of ruling class interest.

******

Second All-Russian Award Ceremony of the Municipal Forum "Small Motherland is the Power of Russia" & Putin's Impromptu Presser Prior to Meeting Municipal Heads
A very full program & long read
Karl Sanchez
Apr 22, 2025



The Kremlin tells us:

Within the framework of the Second All-Russian of the municipal forum "Small Motherland is the Power of Russia" Vladimir Putin participated in the award ceremony for the winners of the "Service" award which occurred before a packed house.

The All-Russian municipal Award "Service" was established on behalf of the President in 2023. The award is given in 10 categories to representatives of the municipal community who have made a significant contribution to the solution of local issues and the development of local self-government. This year, more than 41 thousand applications from all regions of the Russian Federation were considered.

Considering all the events that occurred over the year all over Russia, this years award for “Courage and heroism for the benefit of serving the Motherland” went to the First Deputy Head of the Administration of the Veidelevsky District, Belgorod Region, Head of the Security Department, Vladimir Tarantsov. Putin’s short speech made several important points that the press quickly amplified. The winner kept his remarks short, both of which follow. Oh, and the theme is very important as it’s one of several components aimed at bringing Russia closer in solidarity and mutual support:

Vladimir Putin: Dear colleagues and friends,

I am very glad to welcome the participants and guests of the second All-Russian Forum "Small Motherland-the Strength of Russia" and congratulate you on the Day of Local Self-Government, which is celebrated in our country today.

The forum, supported by the All-Russian Association for the Development of Local Self-Government, brought together representatives of the municipal community from all regions. I am confident that the upcoming exchange of experience and best practices will contribute to improving the quality of life of our citizens and achieving the country's national development goals.

You are devoting yourself to a difficult but very significant task. It is to you that people first come to solve their everyday problems, and it is with you that they pin their hopes for tangible, necessary changes for the better.

That is why working at the municipal level is a huge responsibility, a real vocation, and, I would like to emphasize, a mission that is most important for the state and for our society. This is really a service, a mission.

You know how many bright, caring people there are in your ranks, in municipal authorities, enterprises and organizations. They literally burn with their work, follow the rich centuries-old traditions of the Russian local government system, the best ideals of the Russian zemstvo, and are ready to direct their forces, knowledge, and energy to concrete transformations, including in small towns and rural areas, to the development and prosperity of their native land, and therefore of our entire beautiful vast country.

This is truly a genuine service to our fellow countrymen, neighbors, and fellow citizens. And of course, it is correct that this is the name of the award, "Service", awarded for the best projects and initiatives of the municipal community.

I know that determining the winners and laureates was not an easy task. The organizing committee of the award received almost 42 thousand applications, and about one million people took part in the popular vote.

This means that both the idea of the award and your work itself resonate with people. Such recognition, I am sure, will serve as an incentive for even more fruitful work, for the emergence of new initiatives and projects that will help unlock the potential of local self-government and strengthen the well-being of our citizens.

Dear friends!

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Now we are particularly acutely aware that time has no power over the memory of the people. And no matter how hard anyone tries, no one can distort or overshadow the feat of the Red Army soldiers who saved the whole world from Nazism.

Today, unfortunately, we are once again forced to confront those who are trying to encroach on the security of our country. Once again, we are convinced that the courage, strength of spirit, and unity of our people are able to overcome any threats, and the examples of perseverance, loyalty to duty, and sincere love for the Fatherland that we see today prove the connection of times.

In the regions of Donbass and Novorossiya, in the border regions, municipal employees in very difficult conditions, sometimes at the risk of their lives, perform their professional, and by and large, just human duty, help people, support them, and save them. This is worthy of the most sincere respect and gratitude.

And of course, it is absolutely fair and timely that this year the award has a new category: "Courage and heroism for the benefit of serving the Motherland".

I think it is very important to actively involve participants and veterans of the special military operation at all levels of government, including the municipal level. They have proved by their actions that they are strong and reliable people, that they are ready to solve the most difficult tasks, and that the interests of the Fatherland are above all for them.

Let me remind you that we have a federal personnel program "Time of heroes." Similar personnel projects have already been launched–-I have asked for this and would like to thank the heads of regions and municipalities for doing this–-in all territories, in all regions of Russia. And, of course, I hope that thanks to them, new leaders and professionals will appear in local self-government who are able to lead and set an example of selfless work for the whole society.

Good, competent, and sensitive managers are needed everywhere, but perhaps especially at the municipal level. Obviously, this is the very first thing, the most correct thing: it is the municipal level that is closest to people. And that is why it is there that the most effective managers should appear.

Here it is especially important to understand what you are working for, to follow the true essence of service, when the main task, the highest goal is the good of the country and its citizens. And the awards that will be presented today are a tribute to those who perceive their vocation in this way.

I would like to thank all the winners and laureates of the All-Russian Municipal Award "Service" and wish the participants both professional success and personal happiness.

Thank you for your attention.

Vladimir Tarantsov: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Dear colleagues!

This is an award for all our municipal employees and citizens of the border area. Our task is to protect the borders of our Fatherland, the safety of civilians, and help the military. And the whole Belgorod region and our neighbors live by these ideas.

Thank you, Vladimir Vladimirovich, for your support and attention to the municipal community.

Vladimir Putin: Dear friends!

Once again, I want to congratulate the winners. But I think you will agree with me, everyone in this room understands perfectly well that everyone is the winner.

These are your colleagues, just like you, people who serve other people, neighbors, fellow villagers, and everyone nearby.

I have already said this many times in previous forums: there is no job more difficult than yours. Because the higher the level, the greater the responsibility, of course, but there is less direct contact with people. And only there, at your level, where there is direct contact with people, you perceive the whole nerve of the events taking place, all the problems that each individual person, and therefore the whole country, faces.

In this sense, your work and your success are extremely important for the country as a whole, no matter how small the village that your colleagues lead, no matter how big the city is, multi-million people, this is a very important level, because it is directly related to each individual citizen of the Russian Federation. First of all, I would like to wish you all good luck and success.

And then, you know, what kind of mood you have. Right now, your colleague was speaking. Did you hear what he said? "Our task is to protect the Russian border." That's it people… Although the task of protecting the Russian border is the task of the Border Guard Service, the Armed Forces, and so on. Everyone has their own task. But how you, as your colleague, perceive your duty to the Motherland – this is the most important thing.

Thank you for this service.

I congratulate you on your holiday.

All the best! [My Emphasis]

Much more, including some incorrect editorial content.

https://karlof1.substack.com/p/second-a ... d-ceremony

*****

Russia Matters: West, Ukraine to Discuss Peace Plan That Offers Concessions to Russia on Wednesday
April 22, 2025 natyliesb
Russia Matters, 4/21/25

With the 30-hour Easter ceasefire come and gone, Western and Ukrainian officials will re-convene in London this week to discuss a confidential document that contains “ideas for how to end the war in Ukraine by granting concessions to Russia, including potential U.S. recognition of Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and excluding Kyiv from joining NATO,” according to WSJ’s Michael Gordon and Alan Cullison. In the shorter-term the U.S. proposes freezing the frontline “while designating the territory around the nuclear reactor in Zaporizhzhia as neutral territory that could be under American control,” according to these two journalists. While Russia won’t be sending a representative to the April 23 talks, which will bring together U.S., Ukrainian and European officials, Vladimir Putin signaled that he is prepared to explore a partial ceasefire even as he declared the Easter truce expired. “The proposal not to strike at civilian infrastructure facilities” should be a “subject for careful study,” he told Russian media on April 21. In his remarks to Russian journalists on that day Putin also, somewhat surprisingly, acknowledged that the Easter weekend ceasefire was partially observed by the Ukrainian side.1
When asked about the pending expiration of New START, Alexey Arbatov, who is one of Russia’s most renowned nuclear arms control experts (if not the most renowned), warned that the U.S. and Russia “may find ourselves on the ladder of escalation to a nuclear war, from which it is almost impossible to jump off… without the New START treaty and the numerous preceding treaties and agreements, we would now find ourselves back in the nightmare days of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.” While New START cannot be extended as it is, the signatories could adopt “politically binding statements that the parties will not exceed the New START ceilings,” according to Arbatov. “There is another, more formal option. It is possible to use Article 15 of the New START Treaty and amend it to allow for its agreed extension for a five-year period more than once,” he proposed. In the meantime Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed doubts Russia needs a replacement for New START, at least for as long as the relationship with the U.S. is adversarial. “Americans… continue to label us an adversary… You can’t just cherry-pick one element from the New START Treaty—like the right to inspect each other’s nuclear facilities—and ignore the rest,” he asserted.
CSIS’s dive into China-Russia military ties not only explores heavily-sanctioned Russia’s increasing dependence on China for supplies of “critical defense components,” but also reveals a shift in leadership roles in RF-PRC wargames. “As China’s military capabilities grow, CSIS analysts highlight a shift in leadership within joint drills—such as the 2021 Zapad/Interaction exercise where China led operations—signaling a potential role reversal with China as the senior partner in future engagements,” according to this U.S. think-tank’s April 2025 report, entitled “How Deep Are China-Russia Military Ties?”

https://natyliesbaldwin.com/2025/04/rus ... wednesday/

******

2nd International Anti-Fascist Forum
April 23, 11:47



Today I dropped in on the 2nd International Anti-Fascist Forum. 160 delegations, 94 countries, 420 participants not counting guests. The forum is organized jointly by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the Belarusian Communist Party.





I'll write more details separately.

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/9797921.html

Google Translator

[blindpig]

The Grayzone: ‘Independent’ anti-Russia outlet Meduza faces collapse after US funding slashed
April 23, 2025 natyliesb
By Kit Klarenberg, The Grayzone, 3/18/25

After fervently denying that they relied on financial support from the US government, the supposedly “independent” Russian language paper Meduza has been thrown into existential crisis following the Trump administration’s pause on foreign development assistance

Alexey Kovalev, a self-described “Russian journalist currently living in exile for fear of persecution back home,” had spent much of his career at Meduza, the leading opposition media outlet in Russia. Since leaving the paper under mysterious circumstances in the summer of 2023 and relocating to London, Kovalev has split time writing commentaries for Foreign Policy and attacking reporters at The Grayzone, whom he has falsely painted as Russian assets, while calling for their imprisonment.

“The Grayzone is Russia’s US-based disinformation laundromat,” Kovalev ranted in a July 2024 blog post. “This conspiracy blog’s founders, Aaron Mate and Max Blumenthal, help the Kremlin disseminate its false narratives in exchange for favors from a senior Russian government official Dmitry Polyansky, the country’s deputy ambassador to the UN. They act as unregistered foreign agents and should be investigated by the Department of Justice for possible FARA violations.”


“Independent” journalist Alexey Kovalev left Meduza under mysterious circumstances, and has spent much of his time since clamoring for Grayzone reporters to be persecuted by the US government.

Nearly every word Kovalev wrote was false; The Grayzone has no financial or political relationship with the Russian government, and none of its reporters have received favors from Polyansky or any other Russian official.

Now that the self-exiled troll’s former employers at Meduza have been plunged into a financial crisis by the Trump administration’s pause on foreign development assistance, Kovalev’s smears of The Grayzone have been exposed as an exceedingly embarrassing exercise in projection.

As The New York Times reported this February 26, grants from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) reportedly accounted for 15% of the outlet’s budget. So while The Grayzone accepts no foreign state support, it turns out that Meduza can not survive for a day without a constant cash infusion from its government sponsors in Washington.

Meduza’s covert US funding was revealed in a New York Times article lamenting the Trump administration’s dramatic cuts in funding for various US-financed destabilization and regime change programs across the world. According to the Times, the cuts to USAID could potentially damage Meduza’s operations more than “cyberattacks, legal threats and even poisonings of its reporters.”

The outlet went on to note that while a handful of other Western countries like Germany and Norway “contribute to independent media,” their share is “tiny in comparison with American funding.” Simultaneously, “many traditional media supporters” – including the CIA-connected Ford Foundation, and George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, a “giant grant maker” – have “abandoned much of [their] media funding.” A Columbia University lecturer complained the Trump administration’s aid pause was “really a blood bath.”

While a 2021 investigation by The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal revealed several grants and pledges of assistance from NATO states to Meduza, the outlet’s leadership fervently denied any suggestion of foreign sponsorship. The new revelations by the Times reveal Russia’s top opposition outlet as anything but the “independent” paper they marketed to the public.

Leaked UK files suggest Meduza’s role as NATO state-backed project
Rumors about Meduza’s Western funding have swirled since its creation in October 2014, after its founder, Galina Timchenko, was fired from one of Russia’s most popular news portals for publishing an interview with the leader of Western-backed Ukrainian fascist paramilitary group, Right Sector. That same month, Meduza cofounder Ivan Kolpakov flatly refused to reveal the outlet’s funding sources in discussions with Western media:

“I can’t tell you whether those financing the Meduza Project are Russian or foreign. There’s a huge discussion about our investors among Russian journalists, with some saying we have to tell people who they are. Yes, in a fairer world we probably should, but not in Russia in 2014. We have to protect our product and we have to protect our investors.”

A leak of sensitive British Foreign Office files obtained by The Grayzone in early 2021 contained clear indications that the outlet was funded by Western governments. The documents named Meduza as one of the “specific outlets” whose “viability… as long term partners” was being assessed as part of a broader clandestine effort by London to “weaken the Russian state’s influence.” Several veteran-run contractors charged with achieving this goal named the publication as an ideal conduit for anti-Kremlin propaganda.



Chief among these shady groups was a psyop specialist firm called the Zinc Network. In confidential submissions to the British government, Zinc noted that it was “delivering audience segmentation and targeting support” to both Meduza and MediaZona, another supposedly independent outlet launched by US-funded anti-Putin provocateurs Pussy Riot. Zinc stated, “the outlets lack the expertise and tools to understand their audience profiles or consumption habits, and to therefore promote content effectively to new audiences.”



A separate submission stated Zinc Network was “supporting Russian language media outlets across Eastern Europe by developing audience growth strategies,” under the auspices of a “pioneering media development programme for USAID,” strongly indicating its cloak-and-dagger collaboration with Meduza was financed by Washington. Elsewhere, the contractor committed to providing intensely intimate assistance to all its Russian assets, including “counselling and mental health support.” This was inspired by the politically motivated June 2019 arrest of Meduza reporter Ivan Golunov, for which law enforcement officials involved were fired.

The same document also contained a pledge to “increase search ranking and visibility” of media platforms like Meduza, by teaching them search engine optimization techniques, as well as “paid search activity for priority phrases” training in order to direct people searching for the phrase “news in Russian” away from RT. Fittingly, in a dig at the Russian state broadcaster, Meduza adopted the slogan “The Real Russia, Today,” sarcastically tweaking RT’s former name.



At the time, this journalist submitted questions to Kolpakov, as well as then-Meduza investigations editor Alexey Kovalev, about the documents suggesting NATO state support for their outlet. In one email correspondence, Kovalev alleged Meduza was financed purely by online advertising revenue from “high profile clients,” supposedly even including the Kremlin itself.

Albany expressed particular interest in Meduza’s online games, which “encourage participation through social media and mobile platforms” and “embrace political themes (e.g. “Putin Bingo,” “help Putin get to his meeting with the Pope on time” and “help the Orthodox priest get to his church without succumbing to earthly pleasures”).

The contractor hoped to assist the outlet in creating more online games, “the aim [being] to create content which is good enough to have a pull effect amongst Russian-speaking youth” in Moscow’s near abroad. Ultimately, the aim was to create “satirical games” which would demonstrate the superiority of Western European culture over Russia’s, or as (they put it) that “the offer of a fairer, respectful, and caring society is better than that of an arrogant, nationalistic regime.”

It is uncertain if this British-financed sponsorship materialized. However, these disclosures led to Meduza being labelled a “foreign agent” by Russian authorities. The outlet complained that on top of being compelled to report all the website’s income and expenses to Moscow’s Justice Ministry, the classification also had the potential to damage Meduza’s advertising revenue. The label was slammed as a gross attack on independent media by Western press rights groups, and the European Union.

These days, Meduza apparently needs all the overseas financial help it can get. As the NY Times noted, Meduza was just one “of hundreds of newsrooms in dozens of countries” collectively raking in $180 million annually in funding from USAID, the State Department, and the National Endowment for Democracy to “support journalism and media development.”

“Kill all the bad people”: diaries of a madman
With its financial pipeline to Washington severed by the Trump administration, mass layoffs at Meduza seem inevitable. Meanwhile, after spending months falsely accusing Grayzone reporters of serving as Russian assets, the former Meduza reporter Kovalev has gradually descended into a state of apparent madness.

In a widely ridiculed Telegram post on February 13, 2025, Kovalev declared that one of his goals for 2025 was to “kill all the bad people… and oppress our enemies,” declaring, “I will need the help of the community.”

The “bad people,” he explained, were not just the Russian nationalists who follow Putin, but those among his liberal opponents who had grown weary of the Ukraine proxy war, and begun calling for a settlement to end the killing. “These are worse than the [Russian nationalists]… But it is good that it is becoming crystal clear. All the whores felt they could no longer hide, and are exposing themselves. But we will not forget and will not forgive. Stay tuned.”

Weeks later, as the lights flickered off at Meduza, Kovalev locked his Twitter/X account and continued his increasingly ravings within the confines of his digital “community.” Foreign Policy has not yet responded to a request for comment on its contributor’s call to “kill all the bad people.”



https://natyliesbaldwin.com/2025/04/the ... g-slashed/

******

Russia can break any naval blockade with its power in the Arctic and its nuclear deterrence

Lucas Leiroz

April 24, 2025

Faced with the threat of a Western maritime blockade, Moscow could use its military infrastructure in the Arctic and the deterrent power of its nuclear arsenal to ensure sovereignty and respond to any escalation.

The West’s hostile rhetoric against Russia has taken on increasingly aggressive tones, revealing a coordinated effort to isolate Moscow across all spheres — including the maritime domain. Russian presidential aide Nikolay Patrushev recently stated that the European Union and the United Kingdom are currently preparing a naval blockade against Russia, a measure that constitutes a clear violation of international law and signals an unprecedented escalation in geopolitical tensions.

More than a symbolic or diplomatic gesture, such a naval siege amounts to a declaration of economic and strategic warfare. Patrushev warned that Russia has more than enough means to respond to any provocation of this kind. He made it clear that, in the event of diplomatic failure, the Russian Navy would be authorized to take whatever measures are necessary to protect the country’s shipping.

First, it is necessary to understand what kind of “blockade” the West is planning to impose. In recent times, Western countries have threatened Russian vessels in various areas of the Atlantic Ocean, particularly in the Baltic Sea, which NATO increasingly treats as its own “lake” — while ignoring the military stronghold of Kaliningrad. Russian ships have also faced patrols and threats near ports and territorial waters of European nations, a situation that is becoming increasingly troubling.

However, while there is still insufficient information to determine the West’s real intentions, it is essential to consider the possibility of a full-scale physical encirclement strategy. Although clearly impossible in a direct and frontal manner, such an idea could be pursued progressively through small-scale naval provocations along multiple routes close to Russian shores. In this context, two key pillars would define Russia’s defensive strategy: the Arctic — where Moscow has built one of the world’s largest military infrastructures — and Russia’s colossal nuclear capability.

Over the past decades, Russia has turned the Arctic into a strategic bastion. It now hosts not only highly equipped naval and air bases, but also alternative trade routes and power projection corridors — such as the Northern Sea Route, which is becoming increasingly viable with the melting of polar ice caps. Russia’s Northern Fleet, equipped with next-generation nuclear submarines and cruisers armed with long-range missiles, is strategically positioned to ensure the country’s maritime sovereignty and to prevent any logistical strangulation attempts.

More than a defensive zone, the Arctic now functions as an offensive platform allowing Russia to project power not only across the North Atlantic and the Barents Sea, but also along European coastlines, if necessary. The Western attempt to encircle Russia fails to consider this critical factor: Moscow is not bound by traditional routes, nor does it rely on the goodwill of European ports — its ability to break blockades is real and already operational.

In parallel, Moscow is advancing an ambitious naval modernization program, incorporating autonomous systems, new operational doctrines, and a strategic posture that avoids the trap of an arms race but ensures regional superiority. Russia is not seeking direct confrontation, but it is prepared for it — across multiple domains, including the strategic one.

And this is where nuclear deterrence comes into play — an element the West insists on ignoring or downplaying in its propaganda, but which remains the primary guarantor of Russian security. The nuclear doctrine of the Russian Federation is clear: in the face of an existential threat — even if not in the form of a direct nuclear attack —, the response may escalate to the use of nuclear weapons. This is not an empty threat, but a pillar of global stability — the same one that prevented direct conflict throughout the Cold War.

Russia’s strategic patrol submarines, many of them operating from Arctic bases, maintain a constant second-strike capability. Their warheads, dispersed and well-protected, ensure that any Western aggression can be met with devastating force. Thus, a naval blockade becomes not just a provocation, but a global risk — one that could trigger a conflict of unpredictable scale.

Given this, it is up to the West to reflect on the consequences of its actions. London and Brussels may believe they can suffocate Russia with unilateral measures, but they deliberately ignore the military and geostrategic realities of the 21st century. The Russian Federation is not a vulnerable state; it is a fully capable power, ready to defend its vital interests — whatever the cost.

The illusion of a successful naval siege says more about Western arrogance than about any Russian weakness. In the end, any blockade attempt will only amount to another strategic failure by the West — which continues to underestimate an adversary historically accustomed to resisting — and winning — when encircled.

https://strategic-culture.su/news/2025/ ... eterrence/

*****

Return Stalingrad to the ranks of hero cities
April 24, 11:36



The Union of Soviet Officers addressed an open letter to Putin asking him to make a decision to rename Volgograd to Stalingrad. Currently, the city is renamed Stalingrad for several days a year in connection with memorable dates associated with the Great Patriotic War.

Return Stalingrad to the ranks of hero cities

OPEN LETTER To the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin

Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich!

In your Decree of November 9, 2022, No. 809, historical memory is included among the traditional Russian spiritual and moral values ​​that should be preserved and strengthened.

We, the participants of the VII Plenum of the Central Executive Committee of the International Union of Soviet Officers and the Central Council of the Union of Soviet Officers of the Russian Federation, have repeatedly raised the issue of restoring historical justice and returning the proud name of STALINGRAD to the hero city on the banks of the great Russian river Volga.

Over the years, our republican, regional and city organizations have conducted surveys and referendums, in which the overwhelming majority of our citizens resolutely declared: "the hero city of Stalingrad in Russia must be."

However, at the state level, a decision on this issue has not yet been made. In response to a recent request addressed to you, the Domodedovo city organization of the Union of Soviet Officers of the Moscow Region received a response from the Presidential Administration for Work with Citizens' Appeals on February 27, 2025, No. A26-01-12326093 with a reference to the Federal Law of December 18, 1997 No. 152-FZ "On the Names of Geographical Objects, in accordance with Article 9 of which "the renaming of administrative centers is carried out by Federal Law upon the submission of the legislative bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation."

There is also a link to the Law of the Volgograd Region dated October 7, 1997 No. 139-OD "On the administrative-territorial structure of the Volgograd Region", Article 13 of which establishes that proposals to rename populated areas may be made by state authorities of the Russian Federation, state authorities and local governments of the Volgograd Region, public associations, legal entities and citizens and are sent to the Volgograd Regional Duma.

Since the Volgograd Regional Duma does not respond to mass appeals and proposals from public organizations to rename the city of Volgograd to the hero city of Stalingrad, we ask you to instruct the Government of the Russian Federation in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 9 of Federal Law No. 152-FZ to contact the Volgograd Regional Duma with a proposal to rename the city of Volgograd to the hero city of Stalingrad. We believe that the Volgograd Regional Duma will not be able to disagree with such a proposal from the federal executive body of the Russian Federation.

We are convinced that the return of Stalingrad to the honorary ranks of hero cities of our Motherland by the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War will become a powerful spiritual and moral bond for our society.

Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the International Union of Soviet Officers and the Central Council of the Union of Soviet Officers of the Russian Federation

G.M. BENOV, Lieutenant General of Aviation.

https://t.me/pravda_gazeta/8188 - zinc

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/9799840.html

Major General Popov received 5 years in prison
April 24, 12:50



The former commander of the 58th Army, Major General Popov (dismissed from the army in December 2024) received 5 years in prison for fraud in the sale of metal structures intended for the construction of fortifications in the Zaporizhia region.
The sentence will be served in a general regime colony. It is not yet clear whether he will be able to go to the front after the sentence as part of the well-known procedure.

Popov was also stripped of his military rank and fined 800,000 rubles.
Popov's defense will continue to seek an acquittal. Popov himself did not admit his guilt and considers himself innocent.

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/9799977.html

Enforcement proceedings against Chubais
April 24, 8:07



We've been waiting for this for a long time.
Such characters should of course be grabbed and dragged to the police station while they are still in Russia and with him you can shake off not only what they have left in Russia, but also what they managed to steal and take abroad.
And so, at best, they will return a smaller part of what was stolen. And in the case of Chubais, then even crumbs, since he was raging in the country not only at the head of Rusnano.

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/9799617.html

Google Translator

******

This has never happened before and here it is again
April 24, 2025
Rybar

In the Nizhny Novgorod region, the FSB prevented a terrorist attack at one of the petrochemical plants. The attack was prepared by two people from Central Asia under the supervision of curators from the so-called Ukraine, but they were neutralized.

In addition, according to a report from the regional Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a resident of the Nizhny Novgorod region was detained on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack.

Judging by the footage that has been released, quadcopters were planned to be used in the terrorist attack, and the terrorists who were killed had small arms.

This is not the first and certainly not the last terrorist attack that was prepared by people from the Near Abroad on the orders of the Ukrainian special services. Fortunately, the security forces discovered the preparations and prevented them in advance .

However, due to the enormous "feeding ground" for foreign intelligence services and terrorist organizations, the danger of a repeat of such situations is extremely high. It is worth recalling the terrorist attack in "Crocus", where the perpetrators were also representatives of a well-known country in Central Asia .

I would like to believe that after such news the course of strengthening control over the movements of migrant workers will be continued with renewed vigor. For India , one terrorist attack was enough to start expelling Pakistanis from its territory .

https://rybar.ru/nikogda-takogo-ne-bylo-i-vot-opyat/

(So then, crash the economy?)

Guests of the Victory Parade: Which Foreign Leaders Will Visit Moscow on May 9?
April 24, 2025
Rybar



Very soon, a ceremonial parade dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War will take place in Moscow . Traditionally, top officials of foreign countries have been invited to Moscow . At present, at least 18 leaders of foreign countries have confirmed their participation.

Moscow, which positions itself as one of the centers of resistance to the global dominance of the West, continues to attract countries whose interests have traditionally been ignored in the unipolar system.

The presence of representatives of European states deserves special attention - this indicates growing contradictions within the EU and the lack of a unified foreign policy line in relation to Russia.

Against the backdrop of the ongoing SVO, such a broad composition of the Victory Parade participants makes it possible to assess which states are still ready for active cooperation with Moscow - despite pressure from the US and the EU, and once again confirms the thesis about the failure of Western countries' course towards the international isolation of Russia.

https://rybar.ru/gosti-parada-pobedy-kt ... vu-9-maya/

(Impressive! Too bad the US has isolated Russia...)

Google Translator

[blindpig]

Vladimir Putin Praises Late Pope Francis as ‘Defender of Humanism’
April 25, 2025
The Moscow Times, 4/21/25

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday praised the late Pope Francis as a “defender” of humanism and justice and lauded his efforts to foster dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox churches.

“Pope Francis enjoyed great international respect as a devoted servant of Christian teachings, a wise religious and state leader, as well as a steadfast defender of the highest ideals of humanism and justice,” read Putin’s statement, which the Kremlin published shortly after the Vatican announced the Pope’s passing.

“Throughout his papacy, he actively promoted dialogue between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, as well as constructive engagement between Russia and the Holy See,” the statement added.

“I had the honor of meeting this remarkable man on multiple occasions, and I will always cherish the warmest memories of him,” Putin wrote in the statement.

The Kremlin leader met with Pope Francis in person three times — in 2013, 2015 and 2019 — and last spoke with him by phone in December 2021, just weeks before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to Russian state media.

Pope Francis had repeatedly called for peace in Ukraine, although he stirred controversy last year after urging Kyiv to “raise the white flag and negotiate.” Ukrainian officials reacted to those remarks with fury, even while the Vatican insisted the words “white flag” were intended to mean a cessation of hostilities, not a surrender.

Russia’s Catholic Church announced Monday afternoon that its churches across the country would hold prayer services for the late Pope.

“Starting today, in all our churches in Russia, there will, of course, be prayers for Pope Francis. We will remember and pray here, locally,” Auxiliary Bishop of Mother of God at Moscow Nikolai Dubinin told state media.

In 2016, Francis met Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Cuba, marking the first-ever meeting between the heads of the two churches. The historic encounter concluded with a joint 10-page declaration, hailed at the time as a milestone in relations between the Catholic and Russian Orthodox branches of Christianity.

https://natyliesbaldwin.com/2025/04/vla ... -humanism/

Always the diplomat...But if he was so great a supporter of the Palestinian people as many make out why didn't he use his power of excommunication on the Catholic Joe Biden for his complicity in genocide? Jesuits...

*******

Perestroika Anniversary at Yeltsin Center
April 25, 17:04



Yeltsin Center to Celebrate Perestroika Anniversary

The Yeltsin Center in Yekaterinburg is launching the Perestroika-40 project

The spring program of the Yeltsin Center in Yekaterinburg will be dedicated to the 40th anniversary of perestroika and Mikhail Gorbachev. In connection with this, the Perestroika-40 project is launching, said museum director Anna Borodulina, a URA.RU correspondent reports.

“The educational project for us this year is the 40th anniversary of the beginning of perestroika. Some of the museum’s programs will be dedicated to understanding this era of Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev in a variety of formats,” she said.

At 4:00 pm on April 26, there will be a lecture by historian Rudolf Pikhoya, “Perestroika as Inevitability.” Pikhoya was the first head of the state archival service of Russia and is an eyewitness to those events.

On May 1, the Yeltsin Center will talk about Andrei Sakharov. At 2:00 pm on May 2, there will be an excursion of the Perestroika-40 series. Two Presidents", dedicated to Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin. At 14:00 on May 24, there will be a marathon of excursions - perestroika and the media: Ogonyok, Kommersant, Burda Moden.

https://m.ura.news/news/1052923507 - zinc

Everything as you like.

P.S. The Yeltsin Center should certainly be closed, as Memorial and Ekho Moskvy were closed before.

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/9802394.html

Knives can be used for self-defense
April 26, 11:42



The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation has allowed the use of knives for self-defense.
The reason was a well-known case in which a man stabbed three attackers who were persuaded to attack him by his neighbor.

They tried to convict him for exceeding the limits of self-defense, because three corpses are three corpses, but in the end the court, so to speak, expanded the limits of self-defense and now this fact will be used as a guide in the future. The permit applies to cases where there is a threat to children and there is more than one attacker.

So everyone go ahead for the legendary NKVD finks. Now you can.

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/9803170.html

McDonald's is preparing to return to Russia
April 26, 13:15



McDonald's has applied to register/restore its trademark in Russia. This would be useless if they weren't planning to return to the Russian market in the foreseeable future.
The battle with "Vkusno i tochka" will be legendary.

P.S. I never went to McDonald's before and I don't plan to go back even if I do.

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/9803435.html

(Supposedly the homegrown replacement is doing quite well and providing superior product, which ain't hard to imagine. As per Boris, many Russians will be loath support US enterprise.)

Google Translator

******

Ostap carried away: how is the closure of “Russian Houses” being covered in the CIS?
April 25, 2025
Rybar


English version: https://rybar.ru/piwigo/upload/2025/04/ ... fa7f0f.jpg

Some time after the resonant events in Kyrgyzstan and after the first publications in foreign media, it becomes clear that this is not a mistake, but a planned action .

The most active in covering the event were Azerbaijani media, namely Oxu.az, Caliber, Vesti.az, Report.az, Apa.az, Baku.ws, Media.az, 1news.az and Turkish TRT.

Kazakhstani media are lagging behind (both in the number of mentions and the time of publication) : Tengri.news, Ak Zhaiyk, Kursiv, Arbat Media. The least interested in the arrest were Uzbekistan (Anhor.uz) and Tajikistan (ASIA-Plus), immediately expressing the " version " that everything is connected with the SVO.

The interest of the Azerbaijanis is understandable. After the closure of the "Russian House" in Baku, they are interested in presenting the organization as accomplices of terrorists and justifying their own policies. Moreover, the activity of the Azerbaijani media only proves that their actions are not a misunderstanding, but a conscious opposition to the Russian Federation.

The activity of the Kazakh media also raises concerns that, along with the fight against the remnants of USAID in the country, a campaign to combat other “foreign” influences will be launched, following the Azerbaijani model.

It is curious that the Turkish media spoke out only in the person of TRT, while other publications such as Yeni Şafak decided to remain silent. Although, against the background of the clarified details about the activities of this resource, it is not surprising that they will be afraid to attract attention to themselves in the near future.

https://rybar.ru/ostapa-poneslo-kak-osv ... mov-v-sng/

American Fuel for Russian Reactor: Westinghouse Talks in Armenia
April 25, 2025
Rybar

A delegation from the American energy company Westinghouse visited Armenia and held a meeting with US Ambassador Christina Quinn . There is no information about the negotiations, but there are suspicions that the Americans want to squeeze out Rosatom in the supply of nuclear fuel.

What could the negotiations be about?
Westinghouse's head of nuclear fuels, Tariq Choho , was at the meeting . He is responsible for organizing fuel supplies for nuclear reactors around the world.

The purpose of the visit could have been negotiations on the supply of fuel for the Russian VVER-440 reactor at the Armenian NPP .

Choho has concluded contracts for the supply of fuel for reactors of this type in Europe, in particular in Slovakia, the so-called Ukraine, Finland, positioned as an alternative to the Russian one .

Armenia's contract with Rosatom for fuel supplies expires in 2026 , although the company's service of the NPP has been extended until 2036. However, this creates a window of opportunity for Westinghouse to partially squeeze Rosatom out.

At the same time, Quinn held a meeting with RA Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan , which may indicate his involvement in negotiations with Westinghouse.

If Rosatom has historically fully serviced the Armenian NPP, replacing the fuel supplier will create difficulties in the operation of the plant . However, the Armenian authorities are not looking for easy ways.

The Americans had previously offered their services to the Armenians in replacing the existing nuclear power plant with other options. They were also talking about small modular reactors, although the US has no successful examples of SMRs. Moreover, Westinghouse has a dubious reputation. In 2017, they went bankrupt when they could not afford the financial and technical costs of building four reactors in the US.

Washington's latest efforts in Armenia's energy sector indicate that they are seriously set on disrupting the country's traditional energy system. They are unable to offer a specific NPP project, so they are starting with the fuel issue. And it doesn't matter that this is inappropriate for Yerevan.

https://rybar.ru/amerikanskoe-toplivo-d ... v-armenii/

Google Translator

Wait a minute, I thought the US got most of it's Uranium from Russia?

[blindpig]

Kremlin Comments on Assassination of Russian General
April 26, 2025


Forensic experts working at the site of the blast in Balashikha, Moscow Region, Russia on April 25, 2025. Photo: Maksim Blinov/Sputnik.

The Kiev regime continues to engage in terrorist activities, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stated

The killing of a senior Russian general in a car bomb has again demonstrated the true nature of the Kiev regime, which has long engaged in “terrorist activities” in Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy operations chief of the Russian General Staff, was killed by a car bomb outside his residence in the suburban Moscow town of Balashikha early on Friday. Commenting on the incident, Peskov called upon the public to “stay alert,”suggesting Ukraine was likely behind the assassination.

“The Kiev regime once again shows its essence,” Peskov told journalist Pavel Zarubin, adding that it “continues to engage in terrorist activities” on Russian soil. The incident serves as a reminder that “despite the peace talks, we must stay alert,” he added, speaking on the sidelines of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff at the Kremlin.

Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova offered a similar comment, stating should Ukrainian involvement in the assassination be confirmed, it would demonstrate the “barbarian and treacherous nature of the Kiev regime.” Ukraine is betting on escalating the conflict and “irresponsibly ignoring constructive proposals” to settle it through diplomacy, she noted.

“There is a reason to believe that the Ukrainian special services were involved in the murder, especially given that Moskalik was known to them from the time of his work in the Minsk Contact Group and the ‘Normandy [four] format’ for the settlement of the conflict in the southeast of Ukraine,”Zakharova added.

Last December, a bombing attack in Moscow killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who served as the commander of the Russian Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces. Investigators blamed the incident on Ukrainian intelligence.

The explosive device used to kill Kirillov was reportedly concealed inside an electric scooter placed by the entrance of a residential building where the general had lived and monitored through a camera set up in a car parked outside. The bomb was detonated remotely by the perpetrators when the general and his aide were coming out of the building, killing both men on the spot.

https://orinocotribune.com/kremlin-comm ... n-general/

******

The Chairman Of The Russian Naval Board Shared His Country’s Strategy For The World Ocean
Andrew Korybko
Apr 27, 2025



Russia is still one of the world’s top naval powers despite its recent setbacks in the Black Sea.

Putin’s senior aide Nikolai Patrushev, who ran the FSB for nearly a decade (1999-2008) before chairing the Security Council for over 15 years till recently (2008-2024) and then becoming the Chairman of the Russian Naval Board until now, shared his country’s strategy for the World Ocean in a recent interview. He began with a brief historical review about how the West “rested on its laurels” after the USSR’s dissolution by taking for granted its supposedly eternal dominance of the seas from then on out.

All the while, China rapidly developed its commercial and naval fleets, with the first now being the world’s largest and the second “snapping at the heels of the Americans.” Trump’s Executive Order earlier this month on “Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance” is aimed at correcting this situation by more robustly competing with China in the World Ocean. Patrushev doesn’t believe that this represents a threat to Russia’s interests since his country began modernizing its navy before the Ukrainian Conflict.

The same can’t be said for the Collective West with regard to the Brits and the Europeans, who he warned have plans for blockading Russia, but he didn’t say whether they’d actually attempt it. Nevertheless, Patrushev expressed supreme confidence that the Russian Navy would still successfully ensure the safety of Russian shipping even if that happened, thus downplaying this threat. He then elaborated on how Russia has already modernized its navy and shared some insight into its future plans.

According to him, Russia won’t get dragged into a so-called “naval arms race” as China and the US compete with one another in the World Ocean, but he acknowledged that “there are quite a few problems in the area of ​​civil maritime activities, and they will have to be solved for many years to come.” This has to do with shipbuilding and repair, both of which were largely outsourced during the 1990s, but “today Russia is working on creating a sovereign and import-independent shipbuilding industry.”

In pursuit of this goal, “we are now preparing a truly historic decision to establish the Academician A. N. Krylov National Research Center for Shipbuilding”. This “will ensure the integration of research, design, technological and personnel potential in a single research structure, and will also increase the coordination and efficiency of scientific research management in the field of shipbuilding and civil shipbuilding.” It’ll take time to reap the results, but it’s a long-overdue step in the right direction.

Rounding out his interview, Patrushev reminded his interlocutor about how Russia’s “unique icebreaker fleet” ensures freedom of navigation for commercial vessels along the Northern Sea Route that lies within their country’s legal jurisdiction, thus enabling it to cooperate with others there. He’s optimistic that Russia and the US can jointly partner in the Arctic for the benefit of their respective peoples, the global economy, and world peace and ended with some examples of their historic naval cooperation.

Reflecting on the insight that he shared, the takeaway is that Russia is still one of the world’s top naval powers, which allows it to ensure its national security interests, its future economic ones, and confidently partner with other countries like Trump’s America. These points are important since they powerfully counteract the Mainstream Media’s sensational claim over the past three years that Russia’s naval setbacks in the Black Sea supposedly made it an irrelevant player in the World Ocean.

https://korybko.substack.com/p/the-chai ... sian-naval

******

Russia from sea to sea

Lorenzo Maria Pacini

April 27, 2025

Only a tellurocracy that has fully realized its continental vocation can truly face the waves of the seas.

The three seas of the world

Russia, late 19th century: a highly decorated geographer, explorer, and statistician named Pyotr Petrovich Semenov Tjan Shansky established one of the most original definitions of nascent Russian geopolitics. For the adventurous researcher, Russia had to be read and understood as ‘what lies from sea to sea’, codifying an interesting interpretation of the geography of the then great Russian empire.

In a direct and coherent manner, he drew on the political geography and anthropogeography of Friedrich Ratzel, the great German ethnologist and geographer. Semënov, whose work On the Power of Territorial Possession in Relation to Russia can be considered one of the first fully-fledged geopolitical works in Russia, proposed his own hypothesis on the geopolitical structure of the world, which we can briefly summarize as follows: civilizations form around the three seas of the world, the Mediterranean (together with the Black Sea), the East and South China Seas (together with the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea), and the Caribbean basin (including the Gulf of Mexico). From these areas, culture spreads in different directions, eventually covering the entire planet, in different phases of history but linked to the three seas.

This gives rise to the theme of ‘power’: those who manage to establish political control over the entire coastline adjacent to one of the three seas of the world then gain dominion over all the adjacent territories.

No sooner said than done. This is not an assist to Halford Mackinder’s thalassocratic geopolitics, which he did not know, but a providentially specular reading, denoting an interest in the power of the seas on the part of Russia, at a time and in a context that make this topic extremely intriguing.

Throughout history, the consolidation of dominion over the seas has given rise to three specific configurations of ‘power of possession’, each corresponding to different coastal morphologies. In the context of the European Mediterranean, a ring-shaped model based on continuous coastal control has emerged. A second paradigm emerged during the colonial era in Western Europe, characterized by the establishment of fragmented forms of possession on archipelagos and disjointed portions of continental territory, scattered along ocean routes and interconnected by regular military and commercial shipping. This configuration was defined by Semënov as “leopard-spot.” The third model, developed by the same author, is the ‘sea-to-sea’ model, which can be traced back in the classical geopolitical tradition to the continental or telluric paradigm. This latter concept represented a crucial moment in the development of Russian geopolitical theory and, had the revolutionary events of 1917 and the imposition of Marxist-totalitarian ideology by the Bolshevik regime not interrupted its development, Semënov’s studies could have given rise to a veritable Russian school of political geography and geopolitics.

Russia, in all this, has a unique position: it is geographically surrounded by several seas and, due to its enormous size, has the ability to control and influence the development of several seas and the powers located there. This change of perspective allows us to view Russia from a thalassocratic point of view, not defining it as a primarily thalassocratic power, but in a secondary sense, as a sort of “indirect thalassocracy,” given its tellurocratic breadth.

Semënov historically concretized the cultural and economic bases of colonization, when, according to him, there were various bases of cultural and economic colonization in Russia. These focal points, spreading their light in all directions, truly maintain the strength of the state territory and contribute to its more uniform settlement as well as to its cultural and economic development. If we look at European Russia, we see four specific Russian areas that arose at different times: a first nucleus was formed in the area of Galicia and Kiev-Chernihiv; the second in the land of Novgorod and Petrograd, the third in Moscow, and the fourth in the Middle Volga. The nuclei in Galicia and Novgorod had to face Western enemies and went into complete decline for a long time, only to rise again like a phoenix from its ashes. The lands of Moscow and the Middle Volga, which occupied an internal geographical position, grew almost uninterruptedly, without experiencing long periods of decline. Thanks to these four cultural nuclei, the Russians were able to entrench themselves firmly within the coasts of the four seas, managing to become a world power.

His theory proved fundamental in dictating Russia’s Eurasianist line: having realized its continental nature and accepted its Eurasian character, Russia would look at the world and the processes developing in world politics with a completely new perspective.

Russia, therefore, was capable of managing three seas, or perhaps even more. A whole new perspective.

A lesson that still holds true

In a sense, Semënov’s lesson is still relevant today and, more than a theory, has become a fait accompli.

Russia has proven that it can manage the three seas, at least by protecting itself from attacks that could come through them.

The Mediterranean has become ‘distant’ in recent years due to sanctions and the West’s withdrawal, although it cannot be abandoned as a water basin representing an important source of resources and access to the Middle East and Africa. But it is also the sea of ancient trade, of the first and second Rome, of the millennial history of Europe from which part of the Russian people originate. It is an ethnosociologically indispensable area. Sooner or later, Russia will return to establish commercial or military dominance there.

The East China Sea has become an area of equilibrium with China and, in general, with the powers of the Far East. Russia has established a large part of its port market and fleet there, establishing important partnerships. The solid chain of allies in the region guarantees stability.

As for the Caribbean, it is clear that Russia does not have purely geographical interests there. It has partners such as Cuba, a real outpost to balance the overwhelming power of the thalassocrats. This was historically very important during the Cold War, a real ‘inside job’. The Gulf of Mexico is extremely distant and has no direct influence on Russian territory, but it is rather one of the faces of Anglo-American thalassocratic power and, moreover, a fundamental trade channel, with Panama and its surroundings still undergoing major changes. On the other hand, the US and the UK are the two thalassocratic powers par excellence and exploit that basin as a ‘safe haven’ between the two great oceans.

Therefore, in order to maintain its stability and confirm the realization of its continental vocation, Russia must keep at bay all the actors interacting in the three seas and ensure the strengthening of the Rimland, the security belt that separates it from the direct influence of the sea powers. And this seems to be exactly what Russia is doing.

In the eastern sea, its military presence is stable and it has excellent relations with all its neighbors. In the Mediterranean, it is easy to imagine that a situation of non-blackmailability and non-aggression is easier to manage than an internal conflict and, as we have seen in recent days, provocation in the Black Sea continues with the disputes over Crimea. With regard to the Caribbean, strengthening the network of partners and consolidating existing relations are the preferred way to prevent the US from gaining total control over the passage between the two oceans.

Russia from sea to sea, not only between its geographical borders, but above all between the seas of the world. Because only a tellurocracy that has fully realized its continental vocation can truly face the waves of the seas.

https://strategic-culture.su/news/2025/ ... ea-to-sea/

Marching for peace in Moscow this May 9th

Declan Hayes

April 27, 2025

Although Russia recently offered an Easter truce, not only did Ukraine continually break it but CNN and the Guardian both mocked it.

When troops from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Serbia, Tajikistan and North Korea join Russia’s armed forces marching past the leaders of Brazil, China, India, Russia, Serbia and Slovakia on Moscow’s review stand this May 9th, they will be sending the world a clear message that their adversaries in Kiev and Berlin are stupidly amplifying. That message is that, though Russia is prepared to discuss peace in Ukraine, it is more than ready for more war should NATO force its hand. The solidarity of Serbia, Slovakia and the other countries, China in particular, shows that, if Russia falls, it will not fall alone.

Although Moscow’s first parade is for the Russian military to salute their forebears’ victory over the combined forces of Nazi Germany, Finland and Italy, and the second, the March of the Immortals, is more a personal salute by relatives of those Russians, whose arms prevailed over 80 years ago, current events in Ukraine make those sacrifices by tens of millions of long-dead Russians of critical and immediate consequence.

That is because the last year has seen Russian civilians in Kursk and other oblasts being abused in the same dastardly manner that the Nazi invaders treated their forebears more than 80 years ago. That is not something the Russian Armed Forces should allow to be brushed under the carpet after they march through Moscow’s streets this May 9th.

And nor should they allow the West Europeans or anyone else to try to enforce the Finns’ mooted naval blockade, as that would amount to a declaration of war, to which Russia’s Armed Forces would have to forcefully respond. Although Russia can overlook the provocations of German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock barring Russia from commemorating Russia’s 1945 defeat of her grandfather Waldemar and his fellow Nazi fanatics, just as it can overlook the pathetic counter-march Zelensky and his fellow Nazis are planning for May 9th in Kiev, further direct military threats necessitate a further resounding military reply.

That is the long and the short of it. Frankly, though I am not a big one for parades, pageants or pomp and circumstance, if Moscow’s May 9th marches send the West a message they understand, they will have done the state some service. But, not only does the West refuse to negotiate with Russia in good faith, but it feels it can get its own way, just as it did in Syria, Iraq and Libya.

Just as with those Arab countries, so also has there been a long lead up time to the current Ukrainian crisis.The West has been undermining Ukraine at least since the 24th January 2005 appointment of Julija Tymoshenko as Prime Minister of Ukraine, when she was undermined by the same underhanded tactics we have more recently seen employed in Romania, France and most anywhere else in NATO’s cross hairs. NATO has allowed its Ukrainian vassal state to degenerate to such an extent that it is largely run by hard-core Nazis, who openly worship, idolise and emulate those who wore the Wehrmacht’s grey of Waldemar Baerbock and similar psychopaths. Not only can Russia not tolerate that for historical reasons but, as the ongoing massacres of Russian civilians show, they cannot tolerate it for practical reasons either. Quite simply, because the current Nazi regime in Kiev presents an existential threat to Moscow, its disbandment is a precondition for meaningful talks. That, too, is the long and the short of it.

Although Russia recently offered an Easter truce, not only did Ukraine continually break it but CNN and the Guardian both mocked it proving, if proof were needed, that NATO disdains peace and can act neither with honour nor with plain, common sense.

Trump has a number of choices available to him. He can walk the United States away from the Ukrainian morass and let big-mouthed Estonia step up to the plate there. He can watch as the Russian Armed Forces destroy the rump Ukrainian Reich just as they destroyed the much bigger Finnish and German ones 80 years ago, or he can bolster Zelensky’s defences and then walk away, just as the Yanks did in South Vietnam all of fifty years ago and in Afghanistan in more recent years. Either way, short of going head to head with Russia and her allies in a fight he cannot win, Trump should issue an ultimatum to Zelensky to negotiate in good faith or to abandon the field.

As for Putin’s Russians, they can be happy with themselves despite the huge sacrifices their armed forces continue to make for, behind their shield, a new world is emerging, which is evident not only in the madcap dancing of Betsy and Maria Yankovskaya but further afield in China, where teachers like Zhang Pengfei are inspiring his charges (and even their siblings and guardians) to interact and think the world anew in different ways, and all without any Western involvement or deciding influence. Those Russian and Chinese kids have all slipped the leash and flown the coop and NATO will have to say do svidaniya and sayonara to any chance of ever brain washing them or their likes again.

For my part, I would prefer to see Russian, Japanese and Chinese kids dancing rather than marching off to war but, until Baerbock and her fellow antiChrists are put back in their box, wars and needless deaths are unavoidable. And, for Russian President Putin’s part, though he will be at both Moscow parades this May 9th, his door is open for the no less important role of brokering a lasting peace in Ukraine, should NATO’s warmongers come to their senses and wish to avail of it.

https://strategic-culture.su/news/2025/ ... s-may-9th/

[blindpig]

Lavrov's CBS Interview
Karl Sanchez
Apr 27, 2025



Although it was conducted in English and published in numerous outlets, I’ve taken the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs “Unofficial translation from English” and reproduced it below. It’s adversarial as the opening lines announce:

Question: Good afternoon, Mr Minister. I would like to ask you about what happened in Kiev. On the night of April 24, a massive Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital took place. US President Donald Trump has publicly stated that there was no need for Russian strikes and that the timing was very unfortunate for them. "Vladimir, stop" is his quote. Why kill civilians if Ukraine says it is ready for a ceasefire?

Sergey Lavrov: We strike only at military targets or civilian facilities used by the military. President of Russia Vladimir Putin has said this many times, and now the situation is no different. Unlike the Zelensky regime, we never deliberately target civilian targets.

Question: So this attack was carried out intentionally, not by mistake?

Sergey Lavrov: If this was a target used by the Ukrainian military, then the Defence Ministry and commanders on the ground have the right to attack such targets.

Question: To be clear: when US President Donald Trump says, "Vladimir, stop," does this mean a refusal, or do you think that the civilian casualties are worth it because of the considerations you mentioned?

Sergey Lavrov: I can assure you that the purpose of the attack was not something absolutely civilian, as in the case of the NATO strikes on Belgrade in 1999.

In our case, we attack only those facilities that are used by the military. As for the ceasefire and the call to stop, President of Russia Vladimir Putin immediately supported US President Donald Trump's proposal, made a few weeks ago, to establish a 30-day ceasefire on the condition that we do not repeat the mistakes of the last ten years, when the agreements were signed, and Ukraine violated them with the support and encouragement of the Biden administration and European countries.

This was the fate of the agreement concluded in February 2014, then the Minsk agreements, and then the agreement reached on the basis of the Ukrainian proposals in Istanbul in April 2022.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin said that we are aiming for a ceasefire, but we want guarantees that it will not be used again to strengthen the Armed Forces of Ukraine and that the supply of weapons must be stopped.

Question: On March 11, Ukraine accepted the idea of a US-brokered ceasefire without preconditions. Are you saying that negotiations to stop something else are a precondition?

Sergey Lavrov: No, this is not a precondition. These are the lessons we have learned at least three times, when agreements like the ones we are discussing now were violated by the Kiev regime with the strong support of European capitals and the Biden administration.

If you want a ceasefire only to continue supplying weapons to Ukraine, then what is your goal? Do you know what EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and NATO Secretary General Martin Rutte said about a ceasefire and a settlement? They openly stated that they would only support the agreement that would ultimately make Ukraine stronger and make it a "winner." So if this is the goal of the ceasefire, I don't think this is what US President Donald Trump wants. This is what the Europeans, together with Vladimir Zelensky, want to make of President Trump's initiative.

Question: Will Russia continue to attack Kiev, despite US President Donald Trump's words: "Vladimir, stop"?

Sergey Lavrov: You are not listening to me. We will continue to strike targets used by the Ukrainian military, mercenaries from foreign countries, and instructors officially sent by the Europeans to help strike Russian civilian targets.

If you look, for example, at the situation in the Kursk region, over the past six months, there has not been a single military attack among the targets at which the Ukrainians have opened fire.

In addition, there was a proposal by US President Donald Trump, which was immediately supported by Russian President Vladimir Putin, to introduce a 30-day moratorium on attacks on energy infrastructure. We have never violated this commitment made by President Vladimir Putin, and the Ukrainians have violated several hundred times what Vladimir Zelensky allegedly supported. I personally sent a list of these attacks to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and to the UN. This list is really indicative and speaks for itself.

Question: Ukraine disputes this. But putting that aside, I would like to ask you what US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (April 23). The US President said that he believes that the United States and Russia have reached an agreement, so let's act. Does President Vladimir Putin agree with this?

Sergey Lavrov: US President Donald Trump believes–-and I think quite rightly–-that we are moving in the right direction. The statement of the President of the United States talks about an agreement, and we are ready to conclude an agreement. But there are some specific points, elements of this agreement, which need to be finalized. This is exactly the process that we are engaged in. The President of the United States did not specify these details of the agreement, so it would be inappropriate for me to do so.

Question: But he did say that there is an agreement and that he sent his envoy Stephen Whitkoff to Russia to meet with Vladimir Putin on Friday (April 25).

Sergey Lavrov: Do you not trust the words of the US President?

Question: I wanted to know what your President says. What will he say to the American representative?

Sergey Lavrov: We continue our contacts with the American side on the situation in Ukraine. There are a number of signs that we are moving in the right direction. First of all, because President Donald Trump is probably the only leader on earth who has realised the need to address the root causes of this situation. He said that it was a mistake to drag Ukraine into NATO, that the Biden administration was to blame for this, and that he wanted to fix it.

On April 22, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also expressed the opinion that the US team now has a better understanding of Russia's position and the underlying causes of this situation. One of these root causes is NATO and the creation of direct military threats to Russia near our borders, and the other is the rights of ethnic minorities in Ukraine. Everything Russian: the media, education, culture – everything was banned in Ukraine at the legislative level. In order to get out of this crisis, we cannot simply forget about human rights.

When Iran, Venezuela, North Korea, everything is discussed, American negotiators put human rights in the first place. In this regard, they have claims against China, against us, against anyone. But when Europeans and other Western countries talk about Ukraine, no one can say a word about human rights. No one. On the contrary, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and other people in Brussels and in Europe say that Ukraine defends "European values." It turns out that one of these "values" is the abolition of the Russian language. Imagine if Israel abolished the Arabic language in Palestine. Just imagine.

Question: You mentioned that the United States and Russia still need to work on some of the nuances of the agreement.

Sergey Lavrov: Yes. Do you want me to tell you about them?

Question: Yes, of course, I would like this, but it does not work that way. European sources report that the US proposal is actually just a list of certain theses. Does Russia have an understanding of what you need at the moment?

Sergey Lavrov: We are polite people. And unlike some others, we never publicly discuss what is said at talks. Otherwise, such negotiations are not serious.

If you want to know someone's opinion on the essence of this issue, please contact Vladimir Zelensky. He is happy to communicate with anyone through the media. He even complains about US President Donald Trump.

We are serious people. We consider and make serious proposals. This is a process that should not be public until it is over.

Question: Good. In other words, there is no agreement?

Sergey Lavrov: I did not say that. Now I understand why you wanted to get brief answers to your questions. Do you want some slogans on the air?

Question: No. US President Donald Trump said that there was an agreement with Russia. Therefore, I would like to ask Russia whether there is an agreement with the United States.

Sergey Lavrov: We have already commented on this statement. The talks are ongoing. Until the end of the talks, we cannot disclose what they are talking about.

Question: Okay. Last month, US National Security Adviser Waltz said that President Donald Trump had asked for the release of thousands of Ukrainian children taken to Russia as part of what he called "confidence-building measures." What steps has Russia taken to comply with Donald Trump's request?

Sergey Lavrov: Listen, long before the request came from Washington, we were dealing with the fate of children who had to leave their homes during the conflict, they were left without their families. Most of these children were sent to orphanages. We share any details we have about these children, and as soon as the parents or other relatives make themselves known, they get the children back. This process has been going on for the past almost three years between the ombudsmen of Russia and Ukraine.

Question: In other words, there will be no new release of thousands of Ukrainian children at the request of US President Donald Trump?

Sergey Lavrov: No one knows why some "experts" advised President Donald Trump to talk about thousands of Ukrainian children.

From time to time, once every two or three months, we organize exchanges with the Ukrainians through the mediation of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, which, you know, do not make a fuss about what they are doing. They are just doing something in which we are actively participating: returning children to their parents or relatives.

Question: What "confidence-building measures" can Russia offer now? Especially after the attack on Kiev, when US President Donald Trump said: "Vladimir, stop." How do you convince the United States that Russia is really serious about peace?

Sergey Lavrov: Over the past ten years, there have been many "confidence-building measures." I mentioned the agreement in February...

Question: It was a night attack on Kiev...

Sergey Lavrov: Do you want a brief answer? That's what I understood from your first words. Or do you want an answer that explains the situation?

US President Donald Trump's proposal for a 30-day moratorium on strikes on energy infrastructure was supported by Russian President Vladimir Putin and was strictly observed. These were "confidence-building measures"; let's compare this with the policies and actions taken by the Zelensky regime. As I have already said, the Ukrainians attacked civilian energy infrastructure several hundred times.

Another "confidence-building measure" was the proposal by President Donald Trump and his team to resume the Black Sea deal. Our delegations met in Riyadh. They exchanged views on how this can be implemented in practice. The proposals made by Russia are being considered by the United States. There are many other examples of "confidence-building measures."

But if you believe that only Ukraine is interested in "confidence-building", then I think that the short answer is an illusion.

Question: Do you take US President Donald Trump at his word when he says that if Russia fails to conclude a deal to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine, he will introduce secondary duties? I think he is referring to sanctions on oil coming from Russia. Or do you think that relations between Russia and America have been restored at the moment and this will not happen?

Sergey Lavrov: I cannot comment on what, in your opinion, US President Donald Trump meant when he spoke about something.

Question: What do you think he meant when he spoke about secondary duties on oil supplied from Russia?

Sergey Lavrov: We hear a lot from US President Donald Trump. He said that he was terribly tired of this situation in the settlement, especially yesterday, when he commented on Vladimir Zelensky's statements. US President Donald Trump has his own proposals and his own style of presenting these proposals during public speeches.

As I have already said, we are committed to real talks. US President Donald Trump supports them, and he instructed his people to continue to participate in them. I apologize, the answer was a bit long. But it is difficult to explain it in any other way.

Question: I asked about the threat of sanctions or secondary duties because you said in your recent interview that if you had to choose personally, you would keep the existing sanctions against Russia. You said that Russia has restructured the economy, made it self-sufficient. There are growing fears that, quote, "the cunning Americans will suddenly lift sanctions to flood our market with services and technology." If this is the case, why should the United States consider lifting sanctions at all?

Sergey Lavrov: Why are you asking me? You have just quoted my statement. It is clear to me and to everyone who has read it. If you have questions for the US side about their attitude to the situation, then I am not the right person to ask them.

Question: In other words, you want to maintain the sanctions? Do I understand correctly that this is Russia's position?

Sergey Lavrov: I do not want to explain once again what was said, I think it is quite clear. You quoted me quite close to what I said. Yes, I know that this answer was a little longer than you would have liked.

Question: However, in February of this year, one of your colleagues, Kirill Dmitriev, who heads the RDIF and is actively involved in the negotiation process with the United States, spoke differently. In this regard, I ask a question. He said that American companies are expected to return to the Russian market in the second half of 2025.

Sergey Lavrov: President of Russia Vladimir Putin has already commented on this situation. He said that we have nothing against American companies. But those companies that then decided to leave Russia, upon returning, may find that their place has already been taken by Russian or other foreign investors. In this case, we will not take any action that would discriminate against those who invested in Russia instead of the Americans. If American companies want to fill a niche that is not yet occupied, if they want to propose a new project, in addition to past business relationships, we will of course consider this offer. If we find a balance of our interests, I think it will be quite natural to do business together.

Question: In which areas did the United States propose lifting sanctions? After all, in the context of the current sanctions, many American companies cannot enter the Russian market.

Sergey Lavrov: It depends on them.

Question: In other words, there were no proposals?

Sergey Lavrov: No. What can we offer in a situation when... The United States has made it clear to us that it is interested in doing business together. We never reject business proposals if they are based on equal opportunities and respect for each other and lead to a balance of interests. I cannot comment on the proposals that are mentioned in the media. This is not serious. We behave differently from the people in Kiev who communicate with the world through the media, including with the presidents of great countries.

Question: If I understand you correctly, are you not afraid of sanctions and do not want them to be lifted?

Sergey Lavrov: You quoted my statement correctly. This is my position.

Question: When US President Donald Trump threatens new sanctions, does this cause you any concern?

Sergey Lavrov: This is the third time you have asked about this. By the way, I have answered you briefly.

Question: You expressed yourself briefly and directly. I asked about the sanctions to bring clarity and understanding. In general, as for what is happening now in the war zone in Ukraine, according to experts, about 18% of the territory of Ukraine is under the control of Russian troops. US intelligence believes that the situation is developing in favor of Russia. If that's the case, why should the U.S. believe that Russia is serious about ending the war if things are stacked in your favor?

Sergey Lavrov: We judge by the reaction of our American colleagues to what we tell them. We do this during negotiations—they are confidential, like any serious negotiations. They know our position. I quoted US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who publicly stated that they now have a better understanding of Russia's position and the reasons for what is happening. He said that during the Biden administration, no one in Washington lifted a finger to do the same and try to understand Russia.

This implies that the dialogue continues, supported by the United States and, I stress again, the Russian Federation.

Question: US President Donald Trump said that he hopes to meet with President of Russia Vladimir Putin in the near future. When and where could they meet? And why?

Sergey Lavrov: Presidents are the masters of their own fate and their schedule. I heard US President Donald Trump say that he has a trip planned for mid-May and he will propose dates after that. I have nothing more to add.

Question: Yes. He was asked whether there was a possibility that he would meet with President of Russia Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia, but he replied that most likely not. It's in mid-May, but it could happen soon after.

Sergey Lavrov: You said the same thing as I did.

Question: Yes.

Sergey Lavrov: We read the same newspapers and watch the same channels on TV.

Question: Yes, but I cannot pick up the phone and call US Secretary of State Marco Rubio like you. So when do you think this meeting can take place?

Sergey Lavrov: I hope your viewers are well aware that it is unethical for the Foreign Minister to assume what presidents can and cannot discuss.

Question: Do you think it would be great if the leaders of the two countries met in the near future? In your opinion, Special Envoy Stephen Whitkoff came to negotiate this?

Sergey Lavrov: We are always in favour of meeting with people who are ready for dialogue. President Putin has repeated this many times. When President Vladimir Putin's Assistant for Foreign Policy Yury Ushakov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz met in Riyadh, our American colleagues made it clear that US policy is based on US national interests. They also understand that Russian policy pursued by President Vladimir Putin is also based on Russia's national interests and that the great powers are responsible for ensuring that if these national interests do not coincide (this happens in most cases), they do not allow this discrepancy to escalate into confrontation. This is what dialogue is for. They also added that when the national interests of two or more countries coincide, it would be foolish to miss the opportunity to translate this coincidence into some mutually beneficial projects. This is our position as well.

Question: It will soon be 100 days since President Donald Trump took office. He has made it clear that his patience is running out with regard to diplomacy. Do you expect the United States and Russia to continue dialogue after these potential peace talks fail? I mean, is the restoration of relations now so significant that it can withstand the breakdown of peace talks on Ukraine?

Sergey Lavrov: First of all, Russia is always ready for dialogue. Therefore, you should ask this question to the American side. Secondly, you anticipate the outcome of the ongoing process by saying that the talks will fail. We are focused on getting things done, not talking about failures, victories, etc. If we do not focus on the facts, as we do, we will not be able to take a serious approach to the matter.

Question: President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the window of opportunity is closing and time is running out. This is not my opinion, but what they said.

Sergey Lavrov: Wait a second. I have just quoted Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said yesterday about a better understanding of Russia's position. You may have missed this statement.

Question: He also said that a decision should be made within a few days and that the United States has other things to focus on.

Sergey Lavrov: We understand the impatience, because in American culture you create “expectations” and tension around these expectations. This does not help to engage in real politics.

But in our case (as I have already said) we are always ready for dialogue, for negotiations, and we would not bet on failure from the very beginning. This would be typical of bad, inexperienced negotiators.

Question: Some representatives of the Russian leadership said that the United States and Russia could work together in the Arctic. Are there any specific areas for discussing cooperation now?

Sergey Lavrov: You always want me to constantly disclose things that can be discussed by the relevant officials of Russia and the United States, those who are responsible for trade, economic cooperation and investment.

What are you counting on? For a negotiator who has not yet reached a certain understanding to disclose details publicly? This is not serious.

I have read President Donald Trump's book, The Art of Making Deals. He advises not to disclose information until the right time comes.

Question: With all due respect, US President Donald Trump talks quite a lot about what he would like to achieve with Russia and about the possibilities of working together. I understand that you do not want this.

As for the specific things that President Trump has said publicly, one of the things he raised is that the United States could work with Ukraine on the joint operation of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, which is located in Zaporizhzhia. Russian troops now control the area. Do you agree with President Trump's public statements that it would be in the interests of greater security for the United States and Ukraine to jointly manage this facility?

Sergey Lavrov: No, we have not received such an offer, and if we do, we will explain that the management of the Zaporizhzhia NPP is under the jurisdiction of the Russian state corporation Rosatom, under the supervision of IAEA personnel, who are constantly present at the site and carry out monitoring. That apart from Ukraine's constant attempts to attack the plant and create a nuclear catastrophe in Europe and Ukraine, the safety requirements are fully met. Nuclear power plants are in good hands.

Question: Does this mean "no"? [LOL!!!]

Sergey Lavrov: I do not think that any changes are possible.

Question: Okay, because it was in the White House's public statement to the media.

Sergey Lavrov: As I have already said, we have not received any specific proposals. I understand that journalists have to make guesses. We cannot guess what is not mentioned in the negotiations.

Question: Is the situation with the Zaporizhzhia NPP being discussed now?

Sergey Lavrov: Should I say this for the third time? You wanted me to be brief.

Question: I heard you, but I just want to be absolutely clear, because it has been repeatedly reported that this is also part of the US proposal, which is now being discussed.

Sergey Lavrov: Why don't you ask me about US President Donald Trump's position on Crimea?

Question: Did you like what President Donald Trump said yesterday (April 23) about Crimea that it has been officially under Russian control since 2014?

Sergey Lavrov: It's not a matter of whether you like it or not. The bottom line is that he told the truth, and then Vladimir Zelensky said that this was absolutely out of the question, because Crimea is part of Ukraine, according to the country's Constitution. For some reason, no one in Europe or in the United States reminded him that, in addition to territorial issues, the Constitution of Ukraine guarantees "the free development, use and protection of the Russian language and the languages of other national minorities in Ukraine," as well as guarantees the development of the ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identity of all peoples and national minorities in Ukraine. This is also written in the Constitution, as I have already said, but you have decided not to delve into this topic. No one in the West even mentions human rights when they demand that "Ukraine defeat Russia on the battlefield."

Question: President Donald Trump said that Crimea is not even being discussed now.

Sergey Lavrov: Yes, because this matter has been decided.

Question: Do you mean that since Russia occupies and controls it, it will not negotiate on the future of Crimea? Are you talking about this?

Sergey Lavrov: Russia is not negotiating on the integrity of its territory. President Donald Trump understands this.

Question: This is what you want to bring to the public space. Are there any other US proposals that you like?

Sergey Lavrov: No. I have only commented on what was said publicly. I would also like to emphasise once again that normal negotiators do not negotiate "through a microphone". They meet and discuss, listen to each other, and try to understand how to achieve a balance of interests. This is how our contacts with American representatives go.

Question: With all due respect, you have been in high positions in Russian diplomacy for 30 years...

Sergey Lavrov: How much?

Question: At least 30 years. I mean, you have been in key diplomatic positions in the Russian diplomatic system for a long time.

I do not think that any of this is typical or normal, to use your words. Stephen Whitkoff is a representative of the White House. Kirill Dmitriev represents Vladimir Putin. Do you think it is sad that the system of international diplomacy is no longer being used, but instead the format of meetings of personal envoys is being used?

Sergey Lavrov: You did not express your disappointment that the international system of diplomacy was not used during the entire period of the Biden administration.

You didn't mention that Europeans are really nervous about being "marginalized." But I can quote a lot of what the Europeans have said. I have already mentioned EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who said that any deal should guarantee that Ukraine will be stronger and defeat Russia.

Do you need negotiators who believe in this logic and do not want to seek a fair balance of interests? The Trump administration is interested in finding such a balance. They sincerely want to better understand Russia's position. And they find this understanding. And we better understand America's position through the negotiations, meetings and discussions that we have.

Question: In January of this year, Russia signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement with Iran. Is Moscow ready to break off these relations at the request of the United States, if it means improving relations with America?

Sergey Lavrov: We have never received such requests. We welcome the negotiation process that has begun between the United States and Iran. We are ready to help if the parties believe that it will be beneficial. They know this.

Question: You were Russia's negotiator in 2015 on a significant international agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. In particular, Russia has made a useful contribution to the destruction of Iran's enriched nuclear materials. Would you be ready to make such an offer again?

Sergey Lavrov: We did not participate in the destruction of Iranian nuclear materials.

Question: In recycling.

Sergey Lavrov: Part of the deal was the transfer of some of these materials to Russia for storage.

Question: Good. Not destruction, but storage. Are you ready to offer the United States to accept Iran's enriched nuclear materials produced in recent years for storage in Russia?

Sergey Lavrov: I said that we do not stick our noses into negotiations between two countries if Russia is not one of them. I think I said this unequivocally. You wanted a brief answer, but I will probably have to be more verbose if the essence of my words is not clear to you.

We welcome dialogue between the United States and Iran. We are certainly ready to help if both sides believe that it will be useful. And they know that we are ready.

Question: Going back to that period. At that time, there were sanctions and pressure at the UN. Now it is completely different. I would like to ask you briefly about nuclear weapons, because Russia is a powerful nuclear power. According to US intelligence, Russia is developing a new satellite that should be capable of carrying nuclear weapons and, if used, disable other satellites with devastating consequences for the United States. This is according to openly published materials. Does this mean that Russia is going to violate existing treaties and deploy nuclear weapons in space?

Sergey Lavrov: Before asking this question, you should check whether what the US military and intelligence are saying is true or not.

I listened attentively to what President Donald Trump said about his views on the "list of achievements" of the US intelligence services. I have my own information, which I rely on.

For many years, we have been promoting a resolution at the UN prohibiting the deployment of any nuclear weapons in space. And the country that is categorically opposed to this is the United States. At the same time, Washington is promoting the idea of banning the deployment of conventional weapons in space. They cannot answer the question of whether this means that they plan to place nuclear weapons in orbit.

My answer is very clear. We defend the UN for a legal ban on the deployment of any nuclear weapons in outer space. And the United States (at least this was the case during the Biden administration) was categorically against this.

Question: It was during the Trump administration that the intelligence agencies published these conclusions a few weeks ago. Do you claim that the conclusions of the Trump administration's intelligence services regarding Russia's development of a new satellite that should be capable of carrying nuclear weapons are incorrect?

Sergey Lavrov: We have denied these accusations. I will have to repeat once again: for years we have been promoting a treaty (not a declaration) at the UN banning the deployment of weapons in outer space. The United States is against this. I have already told you that I cannot discuss the reliability of the intelligence services' reports. We have never received any facts that would confirm these accusations.

Question: Are you interested in arms control talks with the United States and the Trump administration?

Sergey Lavrov: It was the United States that withdrew from the process of strengthening strategic stability. If they want to return to this path, we will see under what conditions this will be possible. Since US doctrinal documents refer to us as "adversaries" and some time ago US officials called us "enemies", we want to understand what Washington thinks about our relations and whether it is ready (I would like to emphasise it again) for an equal and mutually respectful dialogue aimed at finding a balance of interests. If this is the approach, then everything is possible.

Question: From everything you said today, I have not heard anything about Russia's readiness to make any concessions today.

Sergey Lavrov: This is not true. I will answer briefly: you are wrong.

I have repeatedly stressed both with regard to Ukraine and with regard to strategic relations with the United States our readiness to seek a balance of interests. If that's not what your broadcaster thinks is a willingness to negotiate, then I don't know how I can be even less eloquent in trying to answer briefly.

Question: There were very clear and specific statements by the Trump administration. For example, US Vice President J.D. Vance said that everything would be "frozen" along the current line of contact in Ukraine and this is quite close to the current positions of the troops. Do you really think that this can be a concession?

Sergey Lavrov: I am not discussing the details of what is being negotiated publicly. I understand that you love rumors, because they attract attention...

Question: The US Vice President said this on camera.

Sergey Lavrov: Was that a question? What did you say?

Question: We are talking about rumors. You said that this is a rumor. These are the words of the vice president.

Sergey Lavrov: No, I spoke about our position. We are not discussing what is being negotiated. [My Emphasis]

The interview took place this morning and was aired on CBS’s Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan asking the questions. The CBS transcript is here. Ms. Brennan was clearly undiplomatic and doesn’t seem to know much about its conduct. Lavrov’s comeback about CBS never asking Team Biden about the diplomatic track was one of Lavrov’s many successful scoring thrusts if we look at this as a fencing duel. There were many howlers, one major one I indicated, most of which are due to this Lavrov observation:

We understand the impatience, because in American culture you create “expectations” and tension around these expectations. This does not help to engage in real politics.

But in our case (as I have already said) we are always ready for dialogue, for negotiations, and we would not bet on failure from the very beginning. This would be typical of bad, inexperienced negotiators.

He could have added media. It’s hard to tell just how deeply hooked Brennan is on the Establishment Narrative that’s been ongoing since the Russian Revolution and those modifications of a more recent vintage. Lavrov understands that she is given a list that must be pounded to death, but in this case his tact and wit buried the ploy. Experienced Lavrov watchers at the Gym could likely have anticipated his answers before reading them. The 43-minute interview’s video at the link up top is in English but overdubbed in Russian. It’s here in English. IMO, it ought to be compared with the Tucker Carlson or Judge Napolitano interviews. I’m old enough to recall how Walter Cronkite interviewed statesmen for that same network, and he would never have made himself as big a fool as Brennan did. But then, there were actual diplomats within the US State Department, and leaks related to diplomatic talks just didn’t happen, nor did media try to pry so brazenly.

https://karlof1.substack.com/p/lavrovs-cbs-interview

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Preparing for the parade
April 27, 21:02



Who will come to the Victory Parade on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
The most representative event since the celebration of the last anniversary is expected.

It is also worth noting that RBC screwed up, the Mongolian leader almost immediately confirmed his participation in the events and, moreover, the Mongolians will march on Red Square.

Fico, Vucic and Dodik will come despite threats of sanctions and even arrest (in the case of Dodik). Europe threatens to punish the troublemakers, especially Vucic. Trump himself stopped the clowning with tales about Trump's invitation, having previously stated that he would not go.

The parade itself will also include parade boxes of foreign countries. There will also be a parade box of heroes of the SVO, there will be representatives of various movements.

The Mausoleum will also be draped this year. It is strange that someone expected the opposite, despite requests from various veterans and public organizations. Although it was the Mausoleum that was the key object of the parades of 1941 and 1945. Hide and seek from one's own history continues.

With such an approach to history, is it any wonder that Soviet history in general and the history of the Great Patriotic War in particular are erased in Europe. This year, Russian and red flags were banned at mass events in Germany. German revanchism continues to gain momentum. Sooner or later, they will even get to the point of demolishing the memorial in Treptower Park. They will also open this overton window soon enough. The work of our anti-Sovietists is greatly helped by the Germans (and not only them).

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/9806499.html

Russia will provide military assistance to the DPRK if necessary
April 28, 12:59



The Kremlin confirmed that, if necessary, Russia will also provide military assistance to North Korea in accordance with the security treaty and the article that has already led to the dispatch of North Korean troops to Russia.

Since the military alliance is defensive in nature, this option is activated if someone attacks North Korea (there are three options - the United States, South Korea and Japan). It itself is not going to attack first. The best confirmation of this is that participation in the Kursk operation in 2024-2025 was North Korea's first full-fledged participation in a major war since 1953. The break was 72 years. This is in response to the tales about "aggressive North Korea". Calculate how many wars (mostly aggressive) the United States has waged during the same time.

Official gratitude to the North Koreans from Putin.

On April 26, 2025, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation completed the defeat of a group of Ukrainian militants who invaded the Kursk region during military operations. This put an end to the criminal provocation of the Ukrainian authorities, who attempted to seize part of the territory of the Russian Federation.

Units of the Korean People's Army took an active part in the defeat of the neo-Nazi formations of the Kiev regime that invaded our territory - in full compliance with international law, in accordance with the letter and spirit of the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Russian Federation and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea of ​​June 19, 2024. In particular, in accordance with Article 4 of the Treaty, which provides for immediate military assistance in the event of an armed attack on one of the contracting parties.

Korean friends acted based on a sense of solidarity, justice and genuine comradeship. We highly appreciate this and are sincerely grateful personally to the Chairman of State Affairs Comrade Kim Jong-un, the entire leadership and people of the DPRK.

We pay tribute to the heroism, high level of special training and dedication of Korean soldiers, who, shoulder to shoulder with Russian soldiers, defended our homeland as their own. They fulfilled their duty with honor and valor, covering themselves with unfading glory.

The Russian people will never forget the feat of the Korean special forces. We will always honor the Korean heroes who gave their lives for Russia, for our common freedom, on an equal basis with their Russian brothers in arms.

We are confident that the relations of friendship, good neighborliness and cooperation between our countries, tempered on the battlefield, will continue to develop successfully and dynamically in all areas. - zinc

http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/76805

The DPRK media express great satisfaction with their participation in the Kursk operation. Valuable combat experience will certainly be implemented in the DPRK armed forces in the near future.

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/9807373.html

Google Translator

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Evaluating The Report That A Key Crocus Plotter Might Have Been Detained In Pakistan
Andrew Korybko
Apr 28, 2025



It’s unconfirmed but plausible.

India’s Economic Times reported that a key plotter of last spring’s Crocus terrorist attack, which the Russian authorities determined to have been carried out by ISIS-K in collusion with the Ukrainian military-intelligence agency GUR, might have been detained in Pakistan. According to what they learned, “Moscow had earlier approached Afghanistan to hand over the (Tajik) mastermind of Crocus terror attack but the extremist operative had allegedly slipped into Pakistan by the time Kabul could nab him.”

Publicly financed Russian media have yet to share the report at the time of this analysis’ publication nor have any Russian officials commented on the matter so its veracity remains uncertain. Nevertheless, the known involvement of ethnic Tajiks in the Crocus terrorist attack, ISIS-K’s base of operations being in Afghanistan, and the porousness of the Afghan-Pakistani border make the report believable. Terrorist-designated groups and individuals have also sought sanctuary in and operated out of Pakistan before.

This last point will be elaborated on in detail due to its importance. No evidence has emerged over the past year to suggest that Pakistan played any role in the Crocus terrorist attack, neither at the state level nor through the involvement of non-state actors operating from its soil, but it still wouldn’t be surprising if an alleged Crocus plotter fled Afghanistan for Pakistan like the Economic Times reported. That’s because the country’s ignoble reputation, which was touched upon above, attracts people of this sort.

At present, Pakistan is fighting against the “Baloch Liberation Army” and “Tehreek-i-Taliban” terrorist groups, but India has also accused it of involvement in last week’s Pahalgam terrorist attack that saw 24 tourists massacred solely on the basis of being Hindus after the culprits confirmed their faith. This contradiction of being a victim of terrorism at the same time as being accused of weaponizing it against India isn’t new and has been a staple of regional affairs since the 1990s.

To oversimplify very complex dynamics, Pakistan’s self-admitted support of the US-masterminded Afghan jihad against the USSR gave it the experience required for employing similar unconventional warfare tactics against India, but it also backfired by radicalizing large swaths of society. As radicalized Pashtuns began to wage war against the Pakistani state with the Taliban’s support, the resultant chaos created an opportunity for reviving the Baloch separatist movement, which has also resorted to terrorist tactics.

Observers also shouldn’t forget that Osama Bin Laden was killed by the US in Pakistan, where he’d been living for years in proximity to a military base, thus prompting speculation that continues to this day about how close Pakistan’s de facto military leaders were to him and other terrorists. The corruption and lawlessness that facilitate terrorism along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan coupled with the country’s ignoble reputation that was just described could explain why that Crocus plotter allegedly fled there.

The Economic Times’ report claimed that “the Pakistani authorities may have detained him”, however, which would be to their credit if true and strengthen their ties with Russia. About that, “Russia & Pakistan Will Comprehensively Expand Cooperation In The Resource Sector” and “The PAKAFUZ Railway Through Central Eurasia Is Making Slow But Steady Progress”, which readers can learn more about from the preceding analyses. They also just held the 11th round of their counter-terrorism working group.

If Pakistan was supposedly able to swiftly detain that suspect, provided that the report is accurate, then it should be able to just as swiftly detain the Pahalgam terrorists’ Pakistani collaborators. For that to happen, India will have to share whatever information it has, which could be passed along via Russia. Indo-Pak ties have deteriorated after this terrorist attack, Pakistan just invited Russia to participate in a neutral investigation, and Russia is friendly with both so it’s sensible to have it play this role.

Moreover, from the perspective of Indian interests, it’s important for Russia to be informed of all the facts that have been established thus far for proving Pakistan’s complicity in the Pahalgam terrorist attack. Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has gone on a media offensive in Russia by engaging with publicly financed RIA Novosti, Sputnik, and RT, but the positive effect that this might have had on reshaping perceptions of its alleged complicity could be counteracted by India’s aforesaid intelligence.

It’s for this reason that India might have already discreetly shared its findings with Russia, whether in the spirit of their strategic partnership or with the intent of Russia then passing it along to Pakistan for requesting that it detain the suspects, or it could soon be planning to do so for either reason. The same goes for the US, which recently thanked Pakistan for arresting an ISIS-K terrorist connected to August 2021’s infamous Kabul Airport terrorist attack, since American pressure on Pakistan couldn’t hurt either.

Circling back to the lede about how a key Crocus plotter might have been detained in Pakistan, its larger relevance is that it reminds readers after Pahalgam that some terrorists seek sanctuary in Pakistan, thus prompting the present analysis about why that is. As for the report itself, it’s unconfirmed but plausible, with more clarity expected soon. Independently of this, India is expected to share its findings on Pahalgam with others like Russia if it hasn’t already, which could convince them of Pakistan’s complicity.

https://korybko.substack.com/p/evaluati ... that-a-key

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VIDEO: Flashback to 2000, Putin’s view on NATO
April 27, 2025



In an interview with David Frost 25 years ago, Putin said “I cannot imagine my own country in isolation from Europe.”

https://natyliesbaldwin.com/2025/04/vid ... w-on-nato/

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NewsX World (India): Trump and Zelensky meet during Pope’s funeral

Yesterday afternoon’s interview with News X focused on the fake news coming from Kiev: that Zelensky’s 15 minutes chat with Donald Trump in Rome signified a change in relations with the American President, who allegedly now is favoring Ukraine over Russia in any peace settlement.

As they say, Zelensky was putting lipstick on a pig. They fail to mention that a second meeting with Trump after the funeral was refused by the White House: They fail to compare the 15 minutes Zelensky was accorded with the 3 hours that Trump’s personal emissary Steve Witkoff spent with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow the day before, on Friday.

As of last night, Russian state television remains cautiously optimistic that a full detente with the United States is possible, regardless of whether the Trump-brokered peace talks between Russia and Ukraine succeed or fail.

(https://youtu.be/CSSj6c70MyU?si=VTTZfhmxWgJ8g5k1)

https://gilbertdoctorow.com/2025/04/28/ ... s-funeral/

[blindpig]

Putin’s Meeting with Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Valery Gerasimov on Removal of All Ukrainian Forces from Kursk
April 28, 2025
Kremlin website (machine translation), 4/26/25

The Supreme Commander-in-Chief heard via video link the report of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Valery Gerasimov on the completion of the defeat of the Ukrainian formations that invaded the Kursk region.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Valery Vasilyevich, I know that you have information on the latest developments in the Kursk direction. What are the results of combat work over the past day and for the entire previous period?

Vladimir Gerasimov: Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief,

Today, the last settlement in the Kursk region – the village of Gornal – has been liberated from Ukrainian units.

At the same time, units of the 22nd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 72nd Division, the 810th and 40th Separate Marine Brigades, the 177th Separate Marine Regiment and the 1427th Motorized Rifle Regiment distinguished themselves.

Thus, the defeat of the armed formations of the armed forces of Ukraine, which invaded the Kursk region, has been completed. The plans of the Kyiv regime to create a so-called strategic bridgehead and disrupt our offensive in the Donbass have failed.

На начальном этапе операции продвижение противника вглубь нашей территории было остановлено с последующим сокращением площади вклинения, украинские подразделения вынужденно перешли к обороне. В дальнейшем нанесением встречных ударов с флангов вдоль государственной границы двумя десантными дивизиями, 76-й и 106-й, а также действиями 155-й и 810-й бригад морской пехоты основная группировка вооружённых сил Украины была изолирована, а в последующем рассечена и уничтожалась по частям.

The most active phase of the operation began on March 6 of this year. As a result of the offensive actions of the units and military units of the Kursk group simultaneously in all directions, as well as the breakthrough into the enemy’s rear by the underground landing force consisting of the Veterans volunteer formation, personnel of the 11th airborne assault brigade, the 30th motorized rifle regiment and the Akhmat special forces unit through the gas transportation system pipeline, the defense of the Ukrainian armed forces collapsed. A chaotic retreat of the Ukrainian units began. And within five days, the area of ​​the wedged-in area decreased by 2.5 times.

During the subsequent actions, the few remaining Ukrainian elite units were defeated and driven out of the Kursk region.

During the operation, the enemy suffered significant losses, in order to maintain the number of his group at the level of about 60 thousand people, he was forced to constantly transfer reserves and units from other sectors to the Kursk direction. The total losses of the formations of the armed forces of Ukraine amounted to more than 76 thousand people, servicemen, killed and wounded. In fact, one composition of the original enemy grouping and even more was knocked out. Over 7,700 units of military equipment were destroyed, including 412 tanks, 340 infantry fighting vehicles, 314 armored personnel carriers, and about 2,300 other armored combat vehicles.

I would like to note separately the participation in the liberation of the border areas of the Kursk Region of the military personnel of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, who, in accordance with the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between our countries, provided significant assistance in defeating the wedged group of the Ukrainian armed forces. Soldiers and officers of the Korean People’s Army, performing combat missions shoulder to shoulder with Russian servicemen, during the repulsion of the Ukrainian invasion, showed high professionalism, showed resilience, courage and heroism in battle.

Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief!

Currently, in the liberated areas of the Kursk region, measures are being taken to identify single servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine trying to take refuge on Russian territory. Forest areas, basements and abandoned buildings are checked. Local authorities are being assisted in restoring peaceful life. Engineering units of the Sever group and the International Mine Action Center of the Military Engineering Academy are conducting complete demining of the territory and the destruction of explosive objects. 19 settlements were fully checked and cleared. 110 demining groups are involved in these works, this is more than 1000 personnel.

In accordance with your instructions, the creation of a security zone in the border areas of the Sumy region of Ukraine continues. Four settlements were liberated. The total area of the controlled area is more than 90 square kilometers.

In addition, in the Belgorod region, units of the North group of troops completed the destruction of Ukrainian sabotage groups in the area of the village of Popovka. The search and elimination of individual servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine hiding in the border forest belts is being carried out.

In other directions, the Joint Group of Troops (Forces) continues to perform tasks in accordance with the plan of the special military operation.

I have finished my report.

В.Путин: Валерий Васильевич, на протяжении нескольких месяцев Вы регулярно докладывали мне о ситуации в Курской области и отмечали наиболее эффективно действовавшие наши подразделения. Не могу не назвать их сегодня еще раз.

These are the 76th Airborne Division, the 234th Airborne Assault Regiment of this division, the 237th Airborne Assault Regiment and the 104th Airborne Assault Regiment of this division; the 106th Airborne Division and its 119th Parachute Regiment, the 137th Parachute Regiment, and the 51st Parachute Regiment. These are the 56th Airborne Assault Regiment of the 7th Airborne Assault Division; two Akhmat regiments – the 204th Special Purpose Regiment Akhmat and the 1434th Motorized Rifle Regiment Akhmat; The 22nd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 72nd Division, the 11th Airborne Assault Brigade, the 83rd Separate Airborne Assault Brigade. Finally, our Marines, glorious Marines – the 155th Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet, the 810th Marine Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet. And of course, you just mentioned it, the volunteer formation “Veterans”, who carried out a daring underground landing in the Sudzha area and created the conditions for its complete liberation.

I congratulate all personnel of all military units that took part in the defeat of neo-Nazi groups that invaded Russian territory in the Kursk region.

The Kyiv regime’s adventure has completely failed, and the enormous losses suffered by the enemy, including among the most combat-ready, trained and equipped forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including those with Western equipment – and these are assault units and special forces – will undoubtedly be reflected along the entire line of combat contact.

The complete defeat of the enemy in the Kursk border region creates conditions for further successful actions of our troops in other important areas of the front, and brings the defeat of the neo-Nazi regime closer.

I congratulate all personnel, all fighters and commanders on this success, on the victory. I thank you for the courage, heroism, for serving our Fatherland and the people of Russia.

Thank you.

V. Gerasimov: I serve Russia!

https://natyliesbaldwin.com/2025/04/put ... rom-kursk/

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Russia and North Korea Reconfigure the International Scene
Posted by Internationalist 360° on April 28, 2025
PIA Global



The consolidation of strategic cooperation between North Korea and Russia is emerging as a factor in stability and in reshaping the global balance.

The recent strengthening of bilateral ties, sealed by the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty signed between Moscow and Pyongyang, reflects not only a profound friendship forged during the most difficult moments in history, but also a clear and forceful message to the world: the era of unipolar hegemony is over, and sovereign peoples are determined to defend each other against external aggression.

The official KCNA news agency reported that North Korea reaffirms its commitment to supporting “the sacred cause of the Russian Army and people ,” pledging its unwavering loyalty to the spirit of the intergovernmental treaty that unites the two nations. This is not just a formal declaration, but a genuine demonstration of active cooperation and strategic solidarity.

The Central Military Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea emphasized that the “invincible combat camaraderie,” cemented “with blood in the fires of war ,” remains a fundamental pillar for strengthening relations between the two states in all areas, including mutual defense.

The depth of this alliance was concretely demonstrated by the participation of North Korean units in the operation to liberate the Russian region of Kursk, invaded by the Ukrainian army in August 2024.

Pursuant to Article 4 of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, North Korea, under the direct orders of its leader Kim Jong-un, sent military support to assist its Russian ally in defending its territorial sovereignty.

This action is not only legitimate under international law and the United Nations Charter, as the official statement points out, but also represents an act of courage and solidarity that stands in stark contrast to the hypocrisy of the West, which claims to have a monopoly on “international legality” while fomenting wars and destabilization around the world.



Article 4 of the signed agreement clearly establishes that, in the event of an armed attack against one of the parties, the other must immediately provide military and other assistance, using all available means.

This clause, far from being a threat to peace, represents a commitment to legitimate mutual defense against the aggressive policies promoted by Washington and its NATO allies.

Faced with the relentless Western military expansion toward Russia’s borders and attempts to isolate and strangle North Korea, Moscow and Pyongyang have responded with a strategy based on solidarity, cooperation, and the defense of the sovereign right of peoples to determine their destiny.

North Korean participation in the liberation of Kursk was acknowledged by the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, who informed President Vladimir Putin about the success of the operation and the important role played by the North Korean military.

This event marks a milestone in bilateral relations, as it confirms that the commitments made are not mere diplomatic formalities, but rather concrete actions that strengthen regional and global stability.

This renewed alliance has deep historical roots. During the Korean War and the postwar years, the Soviet Union provided decisive support to North Korea in its struggle for independence and reconstruction. Today, circumstances have changed, but the spirit of solidarity remains intact.

Both countries, victims of sanctions, threats, and demonization campaigns promoted by the Western media, have found in their cooperation a way to resist external pressure and, at the same time, build alternatives for political, economic, and military development independent of Washington’s directives.

The message sent to the world by this alliance is unequivocal. In the face of the policies of blackmail, sanctions, and proxy wars promoted by the West, Russia and North Korea respond with unity, sovereignty, and mutual commitment. Far from destabilizing the international landscape, the strengthening of their ties contributes to establishing clear limits on the unilateral actions that have jeopardized global peace in recent decades.

The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty is not just a mutual defense agreement: it is a declaration of principles in favor of a more just, multipolar international order that respects the sovereignty of all states.

It is important to emphasize that, while the Western media tries to present this alliance as a “danger” to global security, reality shows that it is precisely the aggressive alliances formed by Washington—such as NATO’s eastward expansion, the promotion of armed conflicts like in Ukraine, or the military encirclement of China—that have brought the world to the brink of generalized confrontation. Cooperation between Russia and North Korea, on the other hand, is based on legitimate defense, mutual respect, and the principle of non-interference.

North Korea has made it clear that its support for Russia is total and unconditional, and that it will remain loyal to any action based on the spirit of the treaty. This not only reaffirms the solidity of the bilateral agreement but also indicates that other actors in the multipolar world are willing to act decisively in the face of aggression from a West increasingly desperate to preserve its waning hegemony.

With information from KCNA

Cover photo: Rodong Sinmun

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2025/04/ ... nal-scene/

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Putin's Actions Prior to the Truce Declaration
Karl Sanchez
Apr 28, 2025



Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed members of the Council of Legislators at the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. The Kremlin noted, “The event is timed to coincide with the Day of the Russian Federation Parliamentarism.” Afterward he met with Speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin and then with Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, all in that sequence but with the public announcement of the Victory Day Truce happening first.

Vladimir Putin: Dear Valentina Ivanovna [Matvienko] and Vyacheslav Viktorovich [Volodin], Dear colleagues and friends,

First of all, I would like to congratulate the citizens of the country, the Council of Legislators, and all your colleagues working in representative bodies on the Day of Russian Parliamentarism. Thank you for your active collaboration.

Parliamentarism Day, as we know, was celebrated yesterday. This significant date reflects the continuity and uninterrupted development of our statehood, the importance of your work for the current stage of the country's development, and, of course, the fundamental nature of the constitutional principles of democracy, which help us to strengthen the country together, confidently overcome trials and difficulties, and achieve the big goals that we set for ourselves together with you.

We see that our political, social, and legal system is working effectively, and in difficult conditions, including under external pressure, it is proving its viability and, I would like to emphasize, its true sovereignty. The main guarantee of such strength and reliability is the independent choice and trust of the citizens of our country.

Two centuries ago, our compatriot, statesman and reformer Mikhail Mikhailovich Speransky noted that the state "is driven and governed by three forces: legislative, executive and judicial." And he added that " the beginning and source of these forces are in the people, for they are nothing but the moral and physical forces of men."

It is important that now, in our days, these "three forces", the three branches of government are in balance, act clearly, in harmony with each other. Because the main criterion for making all decisions, their driving incentive and core are precisely national interests. Not some kind of teaching from the outside, but the firm, sovereign will of the people of Russia, a common desire to ensure the security of the Motherland and its future.

I want to say that the entire parliamentary body, at all levels, adequately responds to the challenges of the time. Parliamentarians-–I have already said this many times--do a lot for victory, help front-line soldiers and war veterans. Many of them joined the ranks of volunteers, defenders of the Fatherland. Of course, this is a strong, courageous act that evokes special, sincere respect.

I also know that ensuring the tasks of a special military operation, supporting the defense industry, the army and navy remains an absolute priority for you. Thank you for such a deep understanding of your civic and professional responsibility.

So, with the participation of all parliamentary factions, the special, absolutely deserved high status of our heroes, participants in a special military operation, is legally fixed, and social protection measures for their families, relatives and friends are being expanded and adjusted. I ask you to continue to carry out this work continuously--together with the Government, the Ministry of Defense, other departments, and the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation.

I would also like to highlight the contribution of regional teams, leaders and legislative assemblies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation–-including their active participation in the sending of humanitarian supplies–-in the volunteer movement, as well as their friendly assistance to fellow legislators in the historical regions of Donbass and Novorossiya on the way to their integration into the common social, cultural and economic space of Russia.

In addition to the federal ones, almost every region introduces its own programs to help combat veterans and their families. I have already said that we need to carefully analyze and summarize this experience. Using best practices, define common, basic, if I may say so, initial support standards for all regions of the country. I know that this is not an easy task: the regions are different, of course. Nevertheless, it is necessary to strive for this. I believe that the Council of Legislators, as well as the parliamentary associations of federal districts, can play a coordinating role here. They are also doing a lot of meaningful work, and in this part it can and should be intensified.

Moreover, veterans of military operations are already coming to the representative authorities at all levels: reliable, responsible, principled people. They are worthily declaring themselves not with words, but with concrete work, real deeds, and concrete initiatives.

I am sure that there will be more and more such parliamentarians and deputies thanks to the federal program "Time for Heroes" and, of course, the personnel projects that have already started in almost all regions of the Russian Federation.

Dear colleagues!

Naturally, the priority of issues of security, defense capability, countering external challenges and risks requires special attention today and significantly affects the current structure of the legislative portfolio.

But, as we have repeatedly said, the challenges we face are not a reason to postpone, but, on the contrary, an incentive to more dynamically solve the problems of the country's long-term development. This is why it is so important that you work intensively in all important areas, namely improving the quality of life of Russian families, improving demography, strengthening the economy and our technological independence, supporting business and entrepreneurial initiatives, developing regions, cities and towns of our large country, improving civil society institutions, and other issues related to the development of the Russian economy, with the preservation of our cultural and historical heritage.

For example, just over the past year, the law on technological policy was adopted with an emphasis on the development of full-cycle production based on domestic solutions, as well as a legislative package to modernize the fiscal system. I am referring first of all to the transition to a more equitable distribution of the tax burden.

I would like to emphasize that additional legal conditions have been created to attract investment in the restoration and revival of cultural heritage sites and monuments.

But of course, there are a lot of unresolved issues, dear colleagues, and there are enough administrative barriers. There's still a lot of work to be done here. I ask you to continue this work together with the Government, the expert community, and the business community.

Further. The law on the Development of creative industries lays the legal foundation for an advanced, promising and growing sector of the economy.

Whole packages of legislative acts are aimed at solving the most acute and urgent problems of concern to citizens, in terms of combating cyber fraud and illegal migration. New measures to support families with children are being introduced. Indexation of pensions for working pensioners has been restored. In general, about two hundred socially significant laws were adopted in 2024.

Of course, the new law on local self-government and its role in the unified system of public authorities is of particular importance for the municipal community. I think we made a very good step here.

I repeat, these are just some examples of truly large-scale, systemic legislative initiatives from various branches of law and regulation.

Senators of the Federation Council, deputies of the State Duma and regional parliaments are also actively involved in the development of long-term planning documents, such as the Spatial Development Strategy of Russia. It was approved by the Government in December last year and identifies both general, cross-cutting priorities and specific features of the country's regions. Our goal is to unlock the potential of all the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. I repeat, this is a question of harmonious development of the country, a question of justice and equal opportunities for Russian citizens.

There's a lot of work to be done. The Government, Parliament, regions and local authorities have many tasks. Including the implementation of updated national projects. I ask you to take each of them under parliamentary control. Connect all forms and mechanisms of feedback with people in order to objectively assess the progress of transformations, to see how much their result meets the expectations of society and the obligations of the state. I've talked about it many times. I am sure that everyone in the audience shares this approach. We need to report not on the amount of money spent or resources used, but on the results of specific work, and look at how people's lives are changing.

Finally, as before, special attention should be paid to parliamentary diplomacy: to explain and firmly defend our position, to defend the truth. Strengthen contacts within the Eurasec and CSTO, the CIS, BRICS and SCO, with all our friends and like-minded people, and their number is growing, and in different countries and on different continents. We do not give up contacts with Western parliamentarians both in North America and in Europe. If they don't want to, that's their business. But I know that we are always ready for this, and we always discuss these issues with the leaders of both chambers.

Russia is open to mutually beneficial cooperation and supports integration processes based on the principles of respect for each other's sovereignty and our common history.

So, tomorrow Volgograd will host the International Forum "Great Heritage-Common Future". It is organized on the initiative of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Russia and Belarus and is timed to coincide with the sacred date for our fraternal peoples—the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

I cordially congratulate you on this upcoming holiday. We are proud of the feat of our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers and should be worthy of this feat. And just like them, we should see our duty in honest service to our people, our Fatherland, and the people of Russia.

I want to wish you all the best.

Thank you for your attention, thank you. [My Emphasis]

Russia as a democratic nation continues to expand the freedom of its citizenry, which is at complete odds with the West’s Establishment Narrative that Putin’s a dictator and today’s Russia differs little from the Stalinist USSR. That continues to be peddled by an Army of fleas that pester the world with their lies; and yes, some do come here and crap on the Gym floor. Putin cited the historical figure Mikhail Speransky who is known as the father of Russian liberalism, which is clearly of the Classic School. Russia’s social, economic, political, and cultural evolution is a convoluted history that regardless of the many tragedies and intrigues has continued to progress in a humanistic direction and is certainly not yet done. It should be clear by now to those of us having followed Russia’s evolution that the Russian National Interest is its people and their wellbeing, which is how it ought to be with all nations but alas is not in all too many cases. IMO, the primary reason Western elites covet Russia’s destruction is because it promotes its people instead of a small oligarchy. Russia has clearly evolved beyond that Feudal Trap, not without great trials and tragedies, but nonetheless the humanistic visions of its many pre-WW1 statesmen have won out.

Now the meeting with Speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin:

Vladimir Putin: Vyacheslav Viktorovich, how is the work going, okay?

Vyacheslav Volodin: Everything is fine. You congratulated me and gave me a rating. I take it that this mobilizes us all even more.

You are right when it comes to the parliament: we need to develop different forms of work, because parliamentary democracy does not stand still. Today we have 119 years almost since the first meeting of the Tsarist State Duma, which was held in Moscow.…

Vladimir Putin: In 1906.

Vyacheslav Volodin: In 1906, yes.

But if we follow the development of parliamentary democracy in modern Russia, a lot has changed since 1993. And I would like to thank you once again, because you have initiated a new approach to the formation and distribution of victory totals after the election campaign, because the format when the winning party does not take everything for itself, divides opportunities equally, having a majority in the Duma, and gives its results. Solutions have become better.

Of course, this adds to the discussion, adds to the opposition. But now, despite the fact that we have five political factions in the State Duma, each of them has the opportunity to represent even a small group of voters, but the right to vote, the right to influence, the right to oppose, to speak in the State Duma.

And each faction has in its composition the positions of heads of committees, vice-speaker, participates in the Council meeting on an equal footing. This, of course, adds quality to the decisions made and increases efficiency.

Today we had a meeting of the Council of Legislators. This is a new form of work. It has shown its effectiveness over the years. Because we meet with the heads of legislative assemblies, discuss problematic issues that lie within the scope of their powers. But given that the regulation and formation of the legislative field is up to us, we are working together with the Government to develop a solution.

We discussed the issue of improving the quality of education, healthcare and addressing issues in the field of personnel training, because there is a shortage of personnel in healthcare and education, as you say and give instructions to the Government and Parliament. That is why we have discussed these issues together with the Government.

As for the topic that was also mentioned in your speech today, you spoke about it, about the need to preserve historical memory, protect our historical heritage, and we, for our part, have stepped up our work over the past few years. Since 2021, we have adopted eleven laws on the protection of historical memory. And we are doing everything possible to ensure that those who destroy the graves of our soldiers and officers, destroy memorials, do not escape responsibility, despite the fact that they are located outside our country or are citizens of other states. This will now all fall into the legislative field. From the point of view of liability, it will be possible to establish it remotely, and now the judicial authorities will have such an opportunity. Of course, it is very important for us that no one rewrites history. And the most important thing is that our grandfathers, great-grandfathers who died, should be protected regardless of where they are buried, where they lie.

In this regard, tomorrow we will hold a forum initiated by the Belarus–Russia Parliamentary Assembly. We have invited our colleagues from other countries. About 20 countries will be represented, not only the CIS countries. Representatives of European countries are also coming, the delegation will be from Slovakia, Serbia, and our friends from China, Vietnam, Mongolia, and Cuba. We are waiting for you.

Vladimir Putin: Absolutely. Sure. As agreed.

All that you have just said is extremely important. Of course, the social block is of particular value, of particular interest-–what people live by every day, what they encounter in their lives: health care, education–-the most important area of activity of any state.

It is clear that a lot has been done recently, but it is also clear that there are always a lot of problems here. Whatever it is, you always need to do it. It is only necessary for one second to miss attention to these issues, and everything will sag. So this is very correct. Together with the Government, I ask you to pay special attention to this issue. These questions are of particular importance to everyone.

Vyacheslav Volodin: Mr President, we will try to do all this. Moreover, just last week we received the latest legislative initiative from the Government to implement the President's Address to the Federal Assembly. We now have every reason to say that the President's Message to the Federal Assembly will be fully implemented during the spring session. Now it is fulfilled by 88.5 percent.

And your covenant and order that it is necessary to meet people without fail, it will also be implemented. We are making changes to the norm of the law, because we previously had a provision that a deputy can meet with voters once every six months. This will now be replaced by the requirement that it must be done once a month. We have a regional week once a month, and it would be right for every deputy to spend a regional week in the regions, meeting with people. And then many problems will be solved.

I would like to say once again that without the support of the President, without your personal attention to the State Duma, to the Parliament, we would hardly have succeeded. Because in the 90s, there was a lot of noise, but little business. Now deputies devote more time to work, but there are still enough problems. Therefore, it is absolutely too early for us to rest on our laurels here. [My Emphasis]

Vladimir Putin: We will decide and work together.

Well, as I stated above, caring for the interests of a nation’s citizens ought to be the core duty of all nations but that isn’t the case as we well know. Volodin knows well how Russian democracy has matured but is still in its infancy. That all factions are represented in committees and such is very laudable and is an advancement over most other Parliaments. The new mandate that citizens must be consulted monthly is fantastic, and yet another nail in the coffin of the dictatorship narrative. I’m curious how the judicial mechanism to hold accountable non-Russians for desecration of Russian memorials, etc., outside of Russia will work.

And finally, the meeting with Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko:

Valentina Matviyenko: Mr President, first of all, I would like to congratulate you on the Day of Russian Parliamentarism, because in fact, thanks to your support, I am telling you the truth, sincerely, the system of parliamentarism in Russia has taken place, it is one of the best in the world.

This is not only our opinion, but also that of others. And when we discussed changes to the Constitution, it was your initiative to transfer the presidential powers to the Parliament, part of the presidential powers. This, of course, increased the role of the Federal Assembly and its importance, and confirmed your conviction of the importance of this democratic institution. Truth. Thank you very much, we remember that. And I also congratulate you on this holiday.

I would like to thank you for not breaking the tradition: on the Day of Russian Parliamentarism, you come to the headquarters of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly every year to meet with the Council of Legislators. We can say that our large parliamentary family gathers here these days. All heads of regional parliaments. For them, of course, this is an event. And this is a platform where we can discuss problems with the regions, what people care about, what needs to be done, and compare notes on the future plan of our legislation. As a result, I remember that when we proposed this idea to you, you supported it, and it became a good tool for strengthening the federal structure of the state. Because parliamentarians of all levels, members of the Government, the President shows such great respect for regional parliaments. So thank you for the tradition.

I want to say that we have all been in high spirits in recent days, and today we have thanked both the soldiers and the commanders for the complete cleansing of the Kursk land from Nazi formations. Vladimir Vladimirovich, this is such a great thing. And under your leadership, they so professionally conducted the operation to clean up the Kursk region and so filigree, protected civilians. That's why everyone is in such a good, upbeat mood.

Vladimir Putin: You know, I talked to the commanders who made a special contribution to this work. True, you can't name all of them, of course. FSB special forces officers, border guards, and Rosgvardiya servicemen also showed themselves in the best possible way there. The most important thing is that our citizens–-and this is the most important thing—held on very courageously. And it is our duty to ensure that confidence in our final victory is only strengthened. So it will be.

You should definitely see it, Valentina Ivanovna. You work with regions. I am in contact with the acting head of state, I only spoke with him yesterday or the day before yesterday. Together with the Government, we must once again analyze what we need to do specifically in this region, in general in the border region, in order to support people and give them the opportunity to pass through these difficult tests. Honorably, in time, on time and in full to fulfill all obligations on the part of the state to our people.

Valentina Matviyenko: Mr President, we will definitely join you.

And in your speech today, you raised a number of priority issues that parliaments should pay attention to. We will write this down in our decisions and, of course, we will also actively engage in this.

The meeting was held on very important issues. The 80th anniversary of the Victory, how to preserve our memory, how to fight the falsification of history, how to draw a line with our foreign partners. And the second is, of course, staffing the healthcare and education systems. A sensitive topic. Vladimir Vladimirovich, there are problems, and you know them well. But we had a good discussion, or at least we outlined what we should do next.

Vladimir Putin: Does the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly work? Is everything okay?

Valentina Matviyenko: Mr President, the Inter–Parliamentary Assembly is already a serious body today. Parliaments of different countries and inter-parliamentary organizations are waiting in line to become observers at the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly.

Now we held a solemn meeting dedicated to the 80th anniversary. Despite the shouts from Brussels, all the presidents of the parliaments personally arrived. Large delegations. We not only laid wreaths and flowers at Piskarevskoye [memorial cemetery], but they all have a stele at Piskarevskoye cemetery, every sovereign state, then the Union republics. Everyone bowed to their warriors. And such vivid speeches were made about the fact that this is our common victory! This is our common memory, and we will fight together.

We have gained such momentum now in terms of model legislation, because it is very important for us to synchronize the legal field in the former Soviet Union. This is important for business, it is important for cultural and humanitarian projects. And model laws are developed with the participation of parliaments of all CIS countries, experts, and scientific organizations. In other words, this is not something imposed by anyone, but our common work, and most of these model laws are either fully or partially implemented in national legislation. Thus, we are bringing our legislation closer together and synchronizing it.

Monitoring of elections, all levels of elections. I am referring to the parliamentary presidential elections. We have established an institute under the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly to monitor elections and develop democratic institutions. And when we started working actively, the OSCE / ODIHR, which came to any of our countries with pre-prepared reports that everything was undemocratic, everything was wrong with us, even stopped traveling, because we have professionals working here and objectively give a picture of the elections.

This is an exchange of experience, of course, legislation, these are common projects that we do, we have quite a lot of them. I would like to thank you for supporting the "Memory Train" project, when high school students from all CIS countries travel on the same train for two weeks. This year we managed to bring together the descendants of all the peoples of the USSR, including the Baltic states, Ukraine, all the descendants and children. After that, other children come, they have a different view of our common history.

As for the Federation Council, we are working together and actively. We carry out all the tasks that you have given us. Moreover, where we see that it is sinking, we are actively working with ministries and departments to promote it in terms of parliamentary control. The priority, of course, was a special military operation, the participants of the SVO, and the senators introduced a number of laws on their own initiative. It seems like a lot has been done, really objectively a lot has been done. But you're starting: there is a need for additional development, they did not take it into account, and we actively continued and will continue this work.

And you know, Mr Putin, it is true that there is such a patriotic upsurge in the country, such unity. And now you have somehow managed to create such an atmosphere of respect for our guys who are fighting. And it means a lot. And we have in the Federation Council three Heroes of Russia and members of the SVO. I'm a mentor to a captain in the military medical service, a field surgeon, and a graduate of the Military Medical Academy. You know, they are such bright people, they are unique people. The anniversary will pass, it will pass wonderfully, I am sure, but it is necessary to continue this work of patriotic education, to actively involve children with SVO veterans.

We are doing this, planning it together with the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation. And what is still worrying is, of course, we need to increase the pace of prosthetics. You gave such assignments, you visited CITO. After that, both Rostec and the Ministry of Industry joined in. In each region, when we leave, we always visit the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation and talk to the veterans. The work is being actively developed, but we need to increase the pace and have modern prosthetics that allow veterans to socialize, and so on.

Now, as for the Demography Council, which was created under your supervision. We have been very active, we have launched an active discussion in the society. They criticize something, support something. We created an expert council. Vladimir Vladimirovich, we have already developed a lot of materials, and we have now prepared them and sent them to the Government. After approval of the Demographic and Family Development Strategy, the Government prepares a plan for its implementation. We actively participate and send our ideas and suggestions there. And I have also sent you a letter with suggestions for your consideration, which you will consider necessary to support, perhaps even in the Message. Whenever the Message sounds, everyone is accepted for unquestioning fulfillment.

Of course, there are objective circumstances, no one has any illusions. It is clear that this is the general demographic situation, not only in Russia. But nevertheless, we need to start some long-term things that will give results later. We have developed such proposals. I won't go into too much detail.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, I'm aware of that. But yes, we need to make sure that this topic is always well-known. To make it prestigious–-a healthy big family. This is the main thing.

Everything else is also important, of course. The material side of the case is also important, organizational support is all important. But the most important thing is the mood in society.

Valentina Matviyenko: Do you know what I like, Mr Putin? The first question is that the governors themselves are actively involved, and I meet with many of them. There are already such good regional programs that are non-standard in the Nizhny Novgorod region, for example, and in others. Each region has its own opportunities and traditions. I was recently in Komi. There, the birth rate is 1.5 – higher than the national one. That is, it is necessary to be very subtle in each region. In general, we are actively working.

Vladimir Putin: Valentina Ivanovna, you and I know that if there are people, there is a country. There are no people–-the territory.

V. Matvienko: It's true. Like our enemies, these Ukrainian Nazis, they don't even say the word "people". Pay attention to their rhetoric: "territories", "territories". We are for the people they killed, the people who lived there. For them, people don't exist. For us, people are territories for them. So it is in the whole country.

In general, the topic is very relevant, very necessary. I have an assignment for you. We will be actively engaged.

This year, 32 election campaigns are regional: both heads of regions and chairmen of parliaments. For us, it is also always, every single voting day, and for the Federation Council, it is an update. These are fresh people, fresh blood. Some are being renewed by governors and legislative assemblies, or reappointed, or changed. Because that's how the Federation Council works, it's the only government body in our Constitution that never stops working. But the system of a single voting day allows us to change somewhere 20, somewhere 30 percent. And this is very important, because new competent people are emerging, and this helps us to modernize our work.

Thank you. [My Emphasis]

And yet more testimony that Vladimir Putin is a democrat not an autocrat. Note that the truce wasn’t mentioned at all. But there was one very important sentence and tag:

And it is our duty to ensure that confidence in our final victory is only strengthened. So it will be.

Thus, for Putin and Russia the truce is no concession to Trump or anyone. Let’s see how many publications and pundits cite those words over the next week.

The Inter-Parliamentary Assembly is a masterful brainchild that involves as many national Parliaments as would like to participate, which promotes people-to-people diplomacy and allows legislators to talk shop and exchange experiences so improvements can be made to governance. Putin’s policy of keeping the door open for those wanting to enter and establish or continue cordial relations is clearly giving the West fits, which is one of its main reasons why it wants to continue the war to the last Ukrainian. IMO, an important distinction was made about the Nazis always talking territory not people—territory doesn’t have rights.

And finally, the demographic issue is of prime importance for Russian long-term governance and is very dependent on the “mood in society.” Given Russian Conservatism, promoting the need for human propagation to start at a young age needs to be formulated wisely yet honestly. I’ll add that the social issue of too many divorces also needs to be wisely and honestly discussed. The latter is a topic I rarely see discussed by the government yet is crucial for demographics and the building of large families.

The annual “sacred date” approaches with the additional emphasis of it being the 80th such date. That Russia is at war with Hitler’s overt and secret supporters at this time is notable, along with the main nation that kept Nazism alive and is the primary aggressor in the current war but is trying to say I didn’t do it, when we have excellent evidence that it is indeed the guilty party. How the SMO gets resolved is still unknown, but the goals remain the same along with the still unanswered December 2021 proposals that have morphed into demands.

https://karlof1.substack.com/p/putins-a ... -the-truce

******

Trusting Russia
April 29, 12:28



In the post-Soviet years, Russia trusted too much those who did not deserve it.
I will name them directly - those who should not have been trusted. This is the United States, Western Europe, including the largest countries: Britain, France, Germany, Italy.
The country succumbed to the hypocritical tricks of historical opponents, not understanding that their signatures on documents are pure fiction, and their words are often not worth a penny (c) Medvedev[

This has never happened before and here it is again.
They began to deceive themselves during Perestroika, and they continued until recently.

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/9809326.html

Google Translator

[blindpig]

A Day of Oratory at Mamayev Kurgan
Karl Sanchez
Apr 29, 2025


Eternal Flame in the Hall of Military Glory on Mamayev Kurgan


Another view of the hall during the wreath laying ceremony with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.

Most are familiar with this image at the Mamayev Kurgan memorial complex:



The memorial has an excellent website where you can take a virtual tour with the sites explained in English. Belarus President Lukashenko joined President Putin for this first major event beginning the festivities surrounding the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The main event here is the plenary session of the Union State International Forum’s Great Heritage – Common Future that was held in a hall in nearby Volgograd and attended by 450 delegates. The meeting was also addressed by the Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin and Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Igor Sergeenko.



IMO, the Union State ideally would have included Ukraine but that was made impossible by those who took control over the newly independent SSR and their Western controllers—all the decades of clandestine presence by CIA negated not just a Union State Triad but also came close to ruining the Commonwealth of Independent States. The events of 2022 began in 1990, and even before that in 1945 when the Outlaw US Empire kept Nazism alive. IMO, it’s that latter aspect that’s primarily responsible for the state-of-the-world today. One of the main goals of the 80th Anniversary is the upholding of Historical Memory, not just of the war itself but all the events that led to it, which means examining world history since roughly 1880. Such an examination won’t follow but will be touched on here at the Gym as we come closer to 9 May. Now, here’s the orations at the plenary session:

Vyacheslav Volodin: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Dear Alexander Grigoryevich,

Thank you very much for finding the opportunity to take part in the First International Forum, held on the initiative of the Parliamentary Assembly of Belarus and Russia here, in the hero city of Volgograd, and dedicated to the protection of historical memory.

We have been working for two days: yesterday there was a session, today a plenary. 20 parliamentary delegations arrived from our friendly countries, which are represented not only by the CIS and the Collective Security Treaty Organization-the geography is huge: our friends came from China, Vietnam, Cuba, from Europe–-Slovakia, Serbia.

And of course, when we talk about the forum, this is a very important event for us, which not only draws us back to those most difficult, terrible years when fascism, having actually enslaved the whole of Europe, became a threat to the world. We ourselves, when discussing issues related to the protection of historical memory, recall the history of peoples, because when it comes to Victory, it is the Victory of the Soviet multinational people. And there are countries here that used to be part of one big state-–the Soviet Union, so today we are united by Victory, today we are united by the memory of those who are no longer there, but who sacrificed themselves for the sake of life on earth.

The conversation, both yesterday and today, has brought us closer to each other, we have become better able to understand each other. It is very important for our colleagues to talk about their contribution, the contribution of their people and their country to the Victory in 1945, and the long road that our country and representatives of the multinational people have taken.

We have representatives of Mongolia here who have remembered their contribution, and we have stressed that if it were not for their support, then it would probably be harder for everyone. Just as they talked about the support of Cuba, which made a decision in 1941 in support of the Soviet Union and opposed fascist Germany. We talked about our comrades from China, who went a long way in the fight against militaristic Japan, losing 35 million people.

I would like to emphasize once again that this work has brought us closer to each other, and this is exactly what parliamentary diplomacy is all about. Therefore, we have tried to discuss issues within the parliamentary dimension, including legislative support for the protection of historical memory. We see how ungrateful the world is today, and so we recalled the statements of the heads of state of that time: Churchill, Roosevelt, and de Gaulle. By the way, his grandson, Pierre de Gaulle, who spoke at our forum, is present in this hall, and it was very important for us to hear his opinion.

Dear Alexander Grigoryevich, Vladimir Vladimirovich!

I would like to express my gratitude for your support in holding the forum, because we would not have been able to organize it without the support of our heads of state. This is the first decision taken in the framework of the Parliamentary Assembly of Belarus and Russia. We hope that the number of participants will increase in the future.

And of course, we, for our part, will summarize all the legislative proposals in order to try to implement in practice a solution that will allow us not only to protect the historical memory, but also to do everything possible to punish those who destroy memorials, tombstones, trample on the graves of our grandfathers, great-grandfathers, those who are not only able to protect the historical memory. who died defending the world from the brown plague.

27 million people died so that we could all live and plan for the future today. This is the victory of the large multinational people of the country, which took the brunt of the aggression of Nazi Germany, not just standing up in this war, but doing everything to win. But this Victory came at a high price. We not only celebrated all this, but also passed it through ourselves, because the war went through every family. Here they remembered the contribution of each nation, emphasizing that they made their contribution, they did everything in their power to ensure that the Victory took place as quickly as possible.

It is no coincidence that this forum is being held in Volgograd: it was here that a radical change took place for us in the Great Patriotic War, and for the whole world in the Second World War. Therefore, I would like to congratulate everyone present on the upcoming Victory Day holiday.

Once again, I would like to express my gratitude to our Presidents, Vladimir Vladimirovich and Alexander Grigoryevich, for doing a lot to protect historical memory, just as the heads of states and countries that have sent parliamentary delegations and are participating in the discussion of protecting historical memory are doing.

Happy Victory Day, our common Victory! Happy holidays!

Igor Sergeenko: Dear Alexander Grigoryevich, Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,

Let me express my sincere gratitude from this rostrum for all the efforts you are making to preserve the common historical memory and shape the worldview of future generations based on the principles of justice, peace and mutual understanding.

The sacred date of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory unites all of us and once again reminds us of the time when, in a tragic period of history, we were able to unite and defeat the seemingly most indestructible enemy.

The fact that the forum is being held in the hero city of Volgograd has a special symbolic meaning. Here you can feel the pulse of history and feel the terrible price of Victory. We were convinced of this by visiting here. A visit to the memorial complex on Mamayev Kurgan, the panorama museum "Battle of Stalingrad" and-especially–-the evening composition "Light of the Great Victory" presented for the first time caused an indelible impression and experience.

You realize that heroism was truly massive. These are intense street battles, when the defense line passed through neighboring streets, and more than 700 repulsed fierce attacks of the Nazis, and the birth of the sniper movement, and 17 fire rams of pilots, and 13 feats of soldiers who covered enemy pillboxes with their breasts, and the organization of the wounded crossing the Volga under enemy fire.

The Battle of Stalingrad is one of the bloodiest in the history of the Great Patriotic War. In modern conditions, it is especially, extremely important to preserve a single space of historical memory of the Great Victory, to strengthen the spiritual connection and continuity of generations. This is the main task of our forum.

Many participants noted that it is important today for young people to perceive the immortal feat of their heroic ancestors as part of their personal destiny, and the task of being worthy successors of glorious deeds— as an internal need.

By holding the forum, we once again showed the greatness of the feat of the Soviet soldier to the whole world, discussed issues of countering any attempts to falsify history, glorify Nazism and revise the results of World War II, and exchanged experience in patriotic education of young people based on historical knowledge.

The program turned out to be rich and interesting. Many ideas and suggestions were made. This applies to the organization of search work, the creation of a museum exhibition, conducting scientific research and preparing young people for the defense of the Fatherland. Of course, they will find real implementation in the activities of the Parliamentary Assembly of Belarus and Russia and the parliaments of friendly countries.

Dear comrades,

Our meeting once again confirmed that the protection of historical truth is becoming the most important task for all countries and interstate associations, which builds their relations on the principles of equality, mutual respect and trust.

In a few days, the world's attention will be focused on the Victory Parade on Red Square, and the path to the parade began precisely with the defeat of the Wehrmacht troops in Stalingrad. And it is deeply symbolic that the Banner of Victory over the Reichstag was hoisted by soldiers of the army under the command of General Chuikov, who defended Stalingrad and in April 1943 became Guards.

The strength of spirit, heroism, and resilience of the Soviet soldiers, who with incredible efforts were able to turn the tide of world history–-this is a lesson for us, who are now living and continuing their work.

The current forum under the auspices of the Parliamentary Assembly is not just a historical conference, it is a socio-political platform aimed at the future. I am sure that today we are laying the groundwork for its annual holding.

Thanks for attention.

Vladimir Putin: Dear Alexander Grigoryevich, Dear friends!

I would like to welcome the participants and guests of the International Forum "Great Heritage-–Common Future" to this heroic and sacred land, which is without any exaggeration sacred for all the peoples of Russia and for all the peoples of the former Soviet Union.

The forum was organized by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Russia and Belarus and brought together heads of parliaments, parliamentary committees, public figures, scientists and experts from about 20 countries--the Chairman of the Russian Parliament [Vyacheslav Volodin] has just said this--and both from neighboring countries, as we have just heard, [and] from abroad. Southeast Asia, from Europe and Latin America.

Alexander Grigoryevich and I unanimously and sincerely supported the initiative to organize such a large-scale and representative meeting. I would like to take this opportunity to thank President Alexander Lukashenko for being here with us today.

It is symbolic that the forum is being held in the hero city, where the fate of the whole world was really decided. Today, the President of Belarus and I visited the memorial complex on Mamayev Kurgan, paid tribute to the memory of the defenders of the city, who covered themselves with unfading glory in the battles for Stalingrad. They stood to their deaths, just like the heroes of the Brest Fortress, the defense of Minsk, Leningrad, Sevastopol, and our other cities and borders. Just now we were driving here, talking about it, remembering it.

The steadfastness and courage of the soldiers of the Red Army, the unity of the entire multinational Soviet people, became an indestructible force. On the Volga banks, the enemy was stopped and defeated. The Nazi war machine was dealt a decisive blow, a radical change in the war was ensured. The road has been opened to the West, to Berlin, to the Great Victory, the 80th anniversary of which we will celebrate very soon on May 9.

In Russia, as in many republics of the former Soviet Union, Victory Day is one of the most significant and holy holidays. During the war, our peoples passed through the most difficult trials together, defended their independence and future, and the defeat of Nazism is our common heritage.

We are waiting for the leaders of a number of countries to attend the celebrations in Moscow, and we highly appreciate that the military units of many of the countries represented here will march shoulder to shoulder with Russian soldiers at the Victory Parade on Red Square.

The forum is working successfully. Its sections included discussions on such important topics as preserving historical memory, common moral and spiritual values, and educating young generations in the spirit of patriotism, responsibility and loyalty to the Fatherland.

I am sure that such principled approaches are shared not only in Russia and Belarus, but also in other countries participating in the forum. And in our countries, much is being done to preserve the truth about the Great Victory, including with the meaningful participation of legislators and parliamentarians.

So, on April 9, at the initiative of deputies of the State Duma of Russia, the federal law on perpetuating the memory of the victims of the Great Patriotic War was adopted. We are talking about strengthening the legal framework, new opportunities for joint work of the state, public organizations, and citizens aimed at preserving the memorials of our fallen soldiers, supporting the search movement just mentioned here, and research projects related to the history of the Great Patriotic War, building monuments and opening new museums.

In total, more than ten federal laws on historical and memorial subjects have been adopted in Russia in recent years. Thus, new days of military glory were established in honor of the Crimean Offensive Operation in 1944 and the Battle of Leningrad in August 1944. The procedure for repairing and protecting cultural heritage sites has become clearer.

We are also grateful to the deputies of the Parliamentary Assembly for their active participation in this work, including the proposal to use part of the Union State budget funds for the construction of a memorial complex dedicated to the Battle of Ognennaya and Kursk Bulges in the Kursk Region, as well as for the construction of a monument in the Mogilev region, near the village of Buinichi, the battles where German tanks were stopped and burned by fighters whose feat was forever immortalized by our outstanding writer Konstantin Simonov—an eyewitness and participant of those events. Many people in this room know that the book "The Living and the Dead" was written about these events.

I believe that our joint work should be carried out on a regular and systematic basis. In this regard, I propose to create a commission for the preservation of historical memory at the Parliamentary Assembly. Given the authority and influence of the parliamentarians of our countries, its main task, in my opinion, should be to consolidate public and political forces, our citizens, especially young people, around joint projects aimed at protecting the historical truth about the Great Patriotic War, the Second World War, and the exploits of the Soviet people. Of course, leading experts and historians of our countries should be involved in the work of the commission.

I would also like to note that many participants of this forum actively cooperate with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. We are grateful to all those who contribute to the legislative support of the creative partnership of the CSTO member states, to the harmonization of national legislation and the development of model regulations, including on the topic of historical memory.

In particular, the Assembly adopted model laws and recommendations on legislative support for those issues that directly relate to responsibility for attempts to revise and distort historical events and the results of the Great Patriotic War. And in December 2024, she adopted an appeal to the parliaments of all countries of the world in honor of the upcoming Victory anniversary.

The Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States also made an address on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Victory. For more than three decades, parliamentarians from the CIS countries have been engaged in a constructive dialogue, exchanging experience and successful legislative practices.

As you know, this year has been declared the Year of Peace and Unity in the Fight against Nazism in the Commonwealth, and many countries are hosting commemorative, social, cultural and educational events, including the Immortal Regiment march, which has already become a truly national event. For us, this is a tribute to the memory of our fallen soldiers during the war, an expression of deep gratitude to veterans, the generation of winners – our fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers.

Dear friends!

We all know very well what an immeasurably high price our peoples paid for the victory over Nazism, what colossal sacrifices were made for this. And there is no doubt that Russia, Belarus, and other countries will always remember the lessons of this war.

The main one is obvious: we must do everything possible to resist the revival of Nazism, the spread of destructive ideologies—Russophobia, anti-Semitism, any form of racism, national or religious intolerance, so-called exclusivity, behind which lie claims to world domination, attempts to pressure or interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign states.

And of course, it is important to work together to create a fairer multipolar world order based on the principles of respect for each other's interests and the right of everyone to their own model of development. It is on this basis that Russia is developing partnership with Belarus and all other countries participating in the forum.

We are convinced that the international community needs to work together to create a new architecture of equal and indivisible security, which would reliably protect all States without prejudice to the interests of others. This issue is particularly relevant for Eurasia. Our common continent should become a space of peace and stability, an example of sustainable economic, social and humanitarian development.

We believe that such an architecture could be based on existing multilateral forms of cooperation, such as the Union State, the CSTO, which I have already mentioned, the CIS, as well as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS, ASEAN and other authoritative and influential structures.

In conclusion, I would like to once again thank the organizers of this meeting and all its participants for their constructive work and significant contribution to strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation between our countries.

Thank you for your attention.

Alexander Lukashenko: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Dear forum participants, invited guests!

The time and place of our meeting are symbolic. Personally, I would like to thank all of you, our deputies, and you, Vladimir Vladimirovich, for inviting me to take part in this forum.

Personally, I am very pleased to see here almost all the familiar faces with whom we once started working when I was still a very young President. You have helped me a lot, and I have learned a lot from many of you, so I sincerely thank you for this invitation to meet with you today.

We are gathered here in Stalingrad, a city that stood like a steel, impenetrable fortress in the path of the invaders. Here, the countdown to a victorious May has begun. It was here, in this city, the heroic city of the Soviet people, that a radical change in the war years began. And next year we will finally break the back of the fascist beast on the Kursk Bulge, and this was already an irrevocable victory, when nothing could be changed, when there was only one way–-Berlin.

Our meeting is not only a tribute to the common heroic past--we turn to history to protect not only the future, but also the present. So today the question is: we are the heirs of a great generation of victorious heroes and we have nothing to be ashamed of and something to hide. This status obliges a lot, but also annoys many people. We are opposed by the descendants of the defeated supporters of the Third Reich. We are talking about this more and more.

It was Stalingrad that took an unprecedented 200-day strike, thousands of fallen heroes, everyone-–from general to soldier–-understood that the fate of humanity and the course of world history were being decided here. Just imagine, if the Fascists had won in Stalingrad, it would have been impossible for us to win this war. Planes are stationary, tanks are not moving, cars and motorcycles are not moving, we do not have the main resource–-oil, which we then mainly extracted in the Caucasus.

And not only this is valuable Stalingrad—it was impossible to retreat further. The next fate–-we would not talk about the Kursk Bulge—would decide the question of Moscow. That's why everyone here is standing up tight.

And the fact that, Mr President, you have defined today's forum here is very accurate. A place is an exact hit in order to discuss the problems that we are facing, which are imposed on us by these very descendants. That's why they stood to their deaths on the Volga, as you said, just like in the Brest Fortress.

General Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov wrote: "We, the living participants in the battles for Stalingrad, bear witness that here our soldiers did not know fear in battle, did not retreat before death, fought the battle with such determination that even the dead did not let go of their weapons." I repeat: "The dead did not let go of their weapons." There is nothing to add to this.

We all bow down to the heroes who were able to withstand a deadly blow, stand up to their full height and push back the brutal enemy, driving him to Berlin. Of course, we do not forget about the help of the allies, but let's be honest: the allies joined when our soldier broke the back of the fascist beast.

Thousands of natives of the entire Soviet Union, including Belarus, defended Stalingrad. I will mention only the names of some of them. These are the commander of the Don Front, one of the Victory Marshals Konstantin Rokossovsky; heroes of the Soviet Union, pilots Nikolai Karnachenok and Ivan Pstygo, tankers Ivan Yakubovsky, Alexander Lizyukov, gunners Vladimir Taranovich, Israel Beskin, infantrymen Vladimir Martsinkevich, Vikenty Skryganov.

The Belarusian Aleksey Vashchenko, who covered the embrasure of the enemy bunker with his body, has entered the history of the city's defense. One of the streets of the current city of Volgograd bears his name. Thank you for remembering. The memory of numerous heroes-liberators, including Belarusians, is preserved by the Hall of Military Glory on Mamayev Kurgan. These are our common heroes.

Therefore, the Mound of Glory near Minsk also preserves land from different parts of the Soviet Union, where the fiercest battles took place. We cherish a piece of Stalingrad in the very center of our capital–-on Victory Square. Bricks from Leningrad, from the legendary Pavlov House, are laid in the foundation of one of the buildings on Nezavisimosti Avenue. These are sacred relics for us. All Belarusians know about it.

And we know that the victory at Stalingrad was won by all our Soviet people, all those who worked for the needs of the Red Army in the deep rear, drawing the enemy's attention to themselves and undermining the military potential of the Wehrmacht from within. It was there, behind enemy lines, that the real second front was opened--not by the Americans or the French, and it was a response to the monstrous crimes of Nazism.

The Belarusian Prosecutor's Office has been investigating the horrific facts of the genocide of the Belarusian people for several years. We reveal new facts of crimes. Thousands of women, old people, and children burned alive and tortured. Our scientists and military personnel are lifting the remains of babies from the ground, pressed to the mother's chest. There are children in every pit. Killed, destroyed by families.

The methods of execution are appalling. People were forced to lay down on their own corpses in order to place as many bodies as possible in the pit, and grenades were thrown at them to better tamp them down. We bring up testimonies about how pregnant women were slashed open, the heads of infants were smashed with a rifle butt, one-year-olds were thrown through the windows of burning houses, babies were thrown up and caught with bayonets. Mothers who saw this and went crazy were hunted like animals.

Previously, these documents were classified: it was not customary in Soviet times to say that Lithuanian, Latvian, and Ukrainian Nazis demonstrated special cruelty. And today, in the Baltic States and in Ukraine, young people are waving the banners of the SS division, putting up monuments to the Fascist executioners, and all this with the tacit consent of the rest of the West. But we must not remain silent, and that is why we have gathered with you today.

Western experts on Belarusian history, on our Soviet, Russian, and Russian history write that we talk too pretentiously about our heroes, exaggerate the scale of their feat. We are hinted that we should talk about our bad ones and not forget about the good Germans, they teach us from across the ocean of pseudo-objectivity.

Today, the ambassadors of the European Union countries are shamefacedly laying flowers in Khatyn and hiding their faces from the cameras of journalists. Poland is holding events dedicated to the liberation of Auschwitz prisoners by the Red Army–-without our participation. The German media reports that this concentration camp was liberated, listen, by American troops. In short, everything is being done to erase the memory of the Great Victory, of our victors.

There are people here today who don't need to be convinced of anything. My generation and that of Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich grew up listening to the stories of front-line soldiers, our parents and those who survived the occupation. With the generation born and growing up in the 90s, you will agree, it is more difficult: the worldview of the children of perestroika was formed at the very peak of revanchist propaganda. Much was done to discredit the Red Army, the partisan resistance movement in our land, and to whitewash the Nazi criminals.

They didn't reach everyone, but their ideas got into some people's heads, and this is our lesson. To protect the historical memory, we must do even more, we must never relax, we cannot believe in any repentance–-only real deeds. And this is very relevant not only for the President and me today, when we are promised a lot–-well, maybe not everyone knows everything yet, you will soon find out–-but they will not do it as usual, as the Russian President said. I can only quote him: "Deceived once again." Therefore, only deeds, only facts: you–-to us, we–-to you. You taught us that. This is not our relationship formula–-that's what you taught us. If you want it this way, please, we can do it this way.

Figures and facts are important, very important, but even more important are emotions, meanings, and uncensored footage of the military chronicle. I may say an unpopular thing, but this is not the time to talk about the traumatized psyche of children who can see these terrible pictures and videos that we often show. Well done, Russians, we are broadcasting this in full in Belarus, you show it more--you have more such opportunities, but we also need to work more in this direction in the archives. You're doing the right thing–-we don't need to worry that someone will see it less, more.

And how can we explain to them why we are desperately fighting for this historical memory today? They must see the truth and draw appropriate conclusions with our help. They should understand why our soldiers, partisans and underground fighters, without hesitation, gave their lives for the country? And it is more difficult for us than for the post-war generation, because more than 80 years have passed–-the nerve of that era is no longer there.

Dear friends!

In Belarus, we actively promote in society the understanding that the memory of the Great Victory is part of the national idea. We are trying to do everything possible to make our children remember that this Victory is a strong bond between us and all the peoples, the Russian people, and all the peoples of the former Soviet Union. We cannot lose this, because together we are not just powerful–-we are the most powerful force, and we will never be defeated.

The Great Victory is sacred, the truth about the Great Patriotic War is our shield, it is a great honor and responsibility to hold it in our hands, and we must remember this.

And in conclusion, dear friends, I will try to express my opinion. Perhaps you will support me in this regard. Why do we fight so hard to preserve the truth and historical memory? We said a lot of very correct words. But why? We are also asked this question from the outside. This is my opinion, and I emphasize once again that you may not agree, but I want them to hear why we clung to this memory so much.

First, we should be proud of this memory. They envy us. Thank God that we have a generation of winners that we are proud of. It's us, you know? Here they are, a million dead. This is us, so we cling to it.

Secondly, because a new, regular war has begun. Dear friends, it started, but we didn't start it. The next stage of this war will be a hot war, a world war with weapons in hand. We don't want that.

Today there is a stage of war in the mass media, thank God, for now. We discuss, fight, fight on these platforms and so on and so forth, there is a war for the minds of our people, and for the heads. Modern hot war is impossible without this preparation. This preparation has begun.

That is why we clung to this historical memory in such a way as to show the present and future generations, our children, that we had them and that if we suddenly need to fight for our land, for our families, for our children, as they fought, sparing neither their lives nor anything that we have there is one. That's why we talk about this historical memory, not because we want to talk.

Let's be honest, there are a lot of people in our society who think: what's there, we talked, we talked, we went to the monuments today, we came back, and so on. No, as soon as we forget the way to Khatyn, Stalingrad, the Brest Fortress, everything will come back again, instantly, without even noticing. Therefore, we must cling to this historical memory with our teeth.

Vladimir Putin: Once again, I would like to thank everyone here for being here and celebrating with us this glorious day–-Victory Day, which marked the beginning of the end of Nazism in Europe here on Stalingrad land. But if you are here, then you understand, as the President of Belarus so convincingly and vividly said now, that we have no right to allow this ever again in the future. That's what we're here for.

Thank you very much.

Happy Great Victory Day! [My Emphasis]

President Lukashenko was very blunt in his words aimed at the West. Volodin was too broad in his blanket accusation that the “world is ungrateful” and should’ve included Western prior to world, for that’s where Nazism remains and is promoted. I must opine that the term anti-Semitism needs modification for Semites are those who speak Arabic, not Hebrew, and the most virulent anti-Semitic peoples are Zionists. As pointed out, Slavs and Chinese are the two greatest genocidal victims of “the Brown Plague,” yet there’s no global recognition of that very important fact—Several Holocausts happened, and it wasn’t the Jews who suffered the brunt nor were the most numerous victims. And given what Zionists are now doing, Jews no longer merit any special mention aside from their conducting their own Genocide just like their Nazi comrades. IMO, no Western elite understands what they are provoking and how it is ultimately to their detriment. And I doubt any of them will read this transcript.

I’d like to see Konstantin Simonov’s trilogy republished in multiple languages as only the first volume is available in English.

https://karlof1.substack.com/p/a-day-at-mamayev-kurgan

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Why’d Russia Officially Acknowledge North Korea’s Military Assistance In Kursk?
Andrew Korybko
Apr 30, 2025



Russia wants the world to know that North Korea might play a larger role in the conflict.

Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov’s acknowledgement that North Korean troops helped expel Ukraine from Kursk ended around nine months of speculation about their role in the conflict. Rumors began to circulate after Russia and North Korea updated their strategic partnership last June and reaffirmed its mutual defense clause. Western, Ukrainian, and South Korean media then alleged that North Korea sent troops to help Russia while the Kremlin reacted coyly to these reports.

It was only in late October that a clearer picture began to emerge after Putin lent credence to these claims by saying that “Images are a serious thing. If there are images, then they reflect something” upon being asked about satellite images of North Korean troop movements. He also said during the same press conference that “We know who is present there, from which European Nato countries, and how they carry out this work”, thus hinting at Russia’s motive in requesting North Korea’s assistance in Kursk.

Adversarial media’s reports about North Koreans fighting within Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders remain unconfirmed, including the disputed regions that Russia claims as its own in their entirety, but it’s now an indisputable fact that they were fighting within Russia’s universally recognized borders. Kursk region was invaded by Ukraine last August as part of an ultimately failed ploy to swap whatever it could occupy there for some of the Ukrainian-claimed land under Russian control.

Just like Ukraine reportedly requested Western assistance for fighting Russia inside its pre-2014 borders per Putin, who also accused the West of assisting Ukraine’s attacks inside Russia’s universally recognized borders, so too did Russia request North Korea’s assistance for fighting Ukraine in Kursk. His motive was therefore to reciprocally respond to the West’s direct but still unofficial military involvement in the conflict by having North Korea enter the fray on Russia’s side in a similarly clandestine manner till now.

This segues into the why North Korea would agree to Russia’s request, which was presumably for aid (agricultural, military-technical, and space-related) and experience, the latter with regard to having its troops learn how to fight a modern war in case of future hostilities with the South. Given the mutual defense basis for complying with this request, Russia could return North Korea’s favor in that event, the scenario of which might deter its enemies from provoking a war in the peninsula like Pyongyang fears.

Officially acknowledging North Korea’s role in Kursk might have been more about sending a message to Ukraine, however, since the precedent of Putin claiming that the West assists its attacks inside Russia’s universally recognized borders could lead to North Korea participating in an expanded ground offensive. Russia might make a major push in Sumy, Kharkov, and/or even Dniepropetrovsk regions, all universally recognized as Ukrainian, either during the ongoing peace talks or especially if they collapse.

The Damocles’ sword of large-scale North Korean involvement in any offensive might be sufficient for coercing Ukraine into concessions or crushing its forces but it could also backfire if the US doubles down on its military aid to Ukraine in response as part of a policy of “escalating to de-escalate”. In any case, Russia wants the world to know that North Korea might play a larger role in the conflict, thus making its official acknowledgement a powerful but risky diplomatic card to play at this pivotal moment.

https://korybko.substack.com/p/whyd-rus ... cknowledge