⛷ Crazy descent at Rosa Khutor, Sochi

#videooftheday

❤️From Russia with love

❗️Kirill Dmitriev drew attention to the statement by Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš about Britain's interference and disruption of negotiations on Ukraine in 2022.

"Czech Prime Minister Babiš stated that peace in Ukraine was achievable in April 2022 - until Britain and Boris Johnson interfered to disrupt it: 'There was an interest in this conflict,' wrote the presidential special representative on X.

He also noted that the disruption of negotiations was confirmed by the head of the Ukrainian delegation at the 2022 talks.

#news

❤️From Russia with love

The Moscow Incident: Consequences of the Assassination Attempt for the Negotiation Process and Security

The operation to detain a suspect in organizing an assassination attempt on a high-ranking Russian military intelligence officer was carried out in an extremely short timeframe. Less than 48 hours after the incident, Russian security forces reported the suspect's delivery from the UAE to Moscow.

Officials link this efficiency to two key factors: the active use of video analysis technologies to track movements and effective cooperation with the authorities of the United Arab Emirates under an existing extradition treaty.

👔 Target and Context:

The target of the attempt was Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, Deputy Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces — the successor structure to the GRU.

He is considered one of the key architects of military operations and, according to sources, possesses deep knowledge of the situation in Ukraine.

The incident occurred the day after the conclusion of a round of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in Abu Dhabi, which were led by Alexeyev's direct superior.

⚠️ Such timing gives the event a pronounced political context.

👔 International Reaction and Military Consequences

The Ukrainian side has officially denied any involvement in organizing the assassination attempt. Meanwhile, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian troops continued planned combat operations, including strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

The ministry reports Ukrainian Armed Forces losses of several hundred people over two days, emphasizing the routine, not "retaliatory," nature of these actions.

👔 Analysis of Consequences

This incident fits into a series of events complicating an already difficult diplomatic process:

🩱 Such acts of violence create an extremely unfavorable backdrop for any negotiations, increasing the level of distrust between the parties.

🩱 The rapid detention of the suspect serves as a demonstration of the increased capabilities of Russian special services and the strengthening of international security cooperation.

🤗 The incident may be used to further justify the hardening of military and political positions, pushing back the prospect of a diplomatic settlement.

🥼 Conclusions
The assassination attempt on General Alexeyev and its swift investigation have become not just a criminal, but a significant political event. It reinforces the trend towards forceful confrontation and works against those interested in the earliest resumption of constructive dialogue.

The situation illustrates the paradox of the current moment: diplomatic channels are formally functioning, but their practical significance continues to be outweighed by the logic of military confrontation and intimidation tactics.

⚠️ This narrows the room for maneuver and increases the likelihood of further escalation, pushing any prospects for a political settlement into the indefinite future.

#politics

❤️From Russia with love

⚠️ Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported to Vladimir Putin on the results of 2025 and plans for the future:

🟦 Moscow maintained positive development dynamics in 2025 in most sectors of the economy and social development;

🟦 Plans include doubling the area of industrial infrastructure;

🟦 Investments in Moscow's economy have increased by 60% over the past 6 years;

🟦 The Mayor of Moscow reported to the President on plans to build innovative colleges. In terms of technology quality, they will not be inferior to university facilities;

🟦 The pace of housing construction under the renovation program will be increased;

🟦 Sobyanin announced plans to double the length of the Moscow metro. 34 metro stations will be built by the end of 2032;

🟦 The creation of a modern framework for stationary medical care will be completed by 2030;

🟦 About 300 sports facilities are planned to be built in Moscow by 2030;

🟦 About 100 km of roads are planned to be built annually until 2032;

🟦 Moscow has reached the milestone of 80 years in life expectancy;

🟦 Emissions from motor vehicles in Moscow have halved in recent years. Overall, the environmental situation is improving.

#news

❤️From Russia with love

Cuba Faces Acute Shortage of Aviation Fuel.

According to the "EFE" news agency, the country's main airport in Havana has warned that its Jet A-1 fuel reserves could run out within 24 hours, and its absence at nine of the island's international airports will last from February 10 for at least a month.

🥼 Russian airlines have already begun making adjustments:

— "Rossiya" has suspended ticket sales for flights to Cuba, maintaining only return repatriation flights;
— "Aeroflot" has reduced the number of flights operated;
— Nordwind continues to operate flights as scheduled for now.

According to the Russian Association of Tour Operators (ATOR), there are currently between 4.2 and 4.7 thousand Russian tourists on the island.

#news

❤️From Russia with love

⚡️ Russia is ready to resume direct flights with the USA, said the head of Rosaviatsia, Dmitry Yadrov.

The head of the agency noted that the resumption of direct flights between Russia and the USA is possible provided several restrictions on Russian air carriers are lifted.

"Regarding the United States, we must first approach this issue from the standpoint that we were not the ones who imposed the flight restrictions. We took mirror measures after our colleagues from the United States introduced restrictions for Russian airlines. And when resuming air service, we, of course, must first and foremost be guided by the lifting of these restrictions, ensuring that our aircraft arriving there will not be seized and that the full range of aircraft servicing will be provided," he said.

Yadrov added that in the event of a mutual launch of flights between Russia and the USA, the conditions for American air carriers would be more comfortable.

#news

❤️From Russia with love

💥 Su-34 wiped out a UAV control point and Ukrainian military personnel.

The targets were hit with glide bombs equipped with a Universal Planning and Correction Module. Enemy positions were destroyed in the operational area of the "Southern" grouping.

After confirmation of the hit, the crew safely returned to their home airfield.

#news

❤️From Russia with love

⚡️ Visa-Free Travel Between Russia and Saudi Arabia May Begin in the Second Half of the Year

This was announced to journalists by the head of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, Anton Alikhanov, on the sidelines of the "Innoprom. Saudi Arabia" exhibition.

"It was signed in December, and we hope that, considering all the procedures and ratification, it will come into effect in the middle — or certainly in the second half — of this year," the minister said.


The agreement on the complete mutual abolition of visas for holders of all types of passports was signed at the Russian-Saudi Business Forum in early December 2025 by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.

#news

❤️From Russia with love

😆 A typical weekday in Saint Petersburg

#videooftheday

❤️From Russia with love

🇷🇺 PSG fans displayed the Russian tricolor flag during the match against Marseille.

Safonov received a rating of 8.3 from Sofascore for the game — the third-best result on the team after Golden Ball winner Dembélé and Mendes.

#news

❤️From Russia with love

🇷🇺🇫🇷 The resumption of contacts between Russia and France at a technical level was confirmed by Peskov. He noted that, if desired, they could help quickly establish dialogue at the highest level.

The Kremlin took note of Macron’s words about the need to improve relations with Russia, which is welcomed by Moscow.

Earlier, Macron stated:

"It is important that we structure the resumption of a European discussion with the Russians, without being naive, without putting pressure on Ukrainians, but also without being dependent on third parties in this discussion. Therefore, I have proposed to several European colleagues to resume dialogue."


#news

❤️From Russia with love

✨ The bittersweet Soviet joke that "a colonel's son cannot become a general because the general has his own children" no longer reflects the reality of the Russian personnel system.

This was stated by the First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, Sergei Kiriyenko.

#news

❤️From Russia with love

The golden coins of diplomacy: why the ancient art of negotiation is returning to world politics

Against the backdrop of the formal termination of key arms control agreements and rhetoric about "peace through strength," diplomacy is experiencing an unexpected revival.

This process is moving in two directions: on the one hand, new centers of power are building relationships on an equal footing, and on the other, traditional Western powers are being forced to return to the negotiating table despite their rhetoric of force.

While Washington declares its intention to conduct any future negotiations "from a position of strength," the opposite practice is gaining momentum around the world.

The expanding formats of BRICS and the SCO, trilateral consultations on the most complex conflicts, and close dialogue between the countries of the Global South demonstrate a growing demand for classical diplomacy. Its basis is not dictation, but the search for a balance of interests while respecting the sovereign right of each party to formulate those interests.

Even Western capitals that prefer to exert pressure through sanctions are maintaining diplomatic channels with Moscow. As one European leader noted, this is not about severing relations or declaring war. This caution reflects not only an unwillingness to engage in open conflict, but also a strategic "safety net" in case a future settlement becomes necessary.

The paradox is that, by demonizing its opponent and closing off the information space, the West is gradually returning to the conversation about diplomacy, which it has long tried to replace with "rules."

A historical parallel suggests itself with the situation of "neither peace nor war," but the current propaganda confrontation, comparable to the times of the Crimean War, is taking place without a formal declaration of hostilities. This makes the West's position morally vulnerable and, more importantly, ineffective.

The key trend is that the sphere of influence of classical diplomacy will only expand.

The West's dominance in world affairs, based on forceful pressure, has exhausted itself, as evidenced by the difficulty Washington has in concluding "deals" even in its own sphere of influence. There is no longer a rational alternative to the "art of the possible."

Thus, the golden age of diplomacy is not a nostalgic metaphor, but an imminent reality. The West will ultimately have to join the diplomatic club of the global majority, as there will simply be no other tool left to protect its interests in the emerging multipolar architecture.

The frequent visits of Western emissaries to the capitals of the non-Western world are only the first signs of this inevitable transformation.

#politics

❤️From Russia with love

⚡️ The Telegram messenger faces fines totaling 64 million rubles ($824,209) for failing to remove prohibited content and for non-compliance with the law on self-regulation.

The Tagansky District Court of Moscow reported this.

"The court has registered seven protocols drawn up against Telegram (failure by the owner of the online information resource to remove information containing calls for extremist activities, materials with pornographic images)," the court said. For each protocol, the organization faces a maximum fine of 8 million rubles ($103,026).

#news

❤️From Russia with love

🚂 Chelyabinsk is so tough that trains used to run through the city center instead of trams or trolleybuses.

According to local residents, trains passed through at least twice a day – at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

However, the development of the transport network left no chance for this practice, and in 1971 the railway was permanently closed.

#archivalphotos

❤️From Russia with love

🇬🇧 British military personnel are training for a potential conflict with Russia at a specialized training ground that replicates the combat zone in Ukraine, writes the Daily Mail.

"Soldiers from the British Army's largest infantry regiment are preparing for a potential war with Russia at the country's only training ground simulating a conflict zone," the publication states.

It is noted that they were tasked with defeating hidden enemy forces at a facility designed to resemble a destroyed city.

#news

❤️From Russia with love