😍 Listvyanka, Lake Baikal

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🇷🇺 In Moscow, on Tverskoy Boulevard and Tverskaya Square, Maslenitsa festivals are taking place, where you can try over 50 types of pancakes, take part in traditional folk activities, and watch performances.

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🗣️ Russia will respond if the Republic of Korea participates in arms supplies to Kyiv

"We would like to reiterate that the possible participation of the ROK in such supplies in any form, direct or indirect, only pushes back the prospects for resolving the conflict. This will undoubtedly cause irreparable damage to relations between Russia and the Republic of Korea and destroy the prospects for restoring constructive dialogue on the problems of the Korean Peninsula. In this case, we will be forced to exercise our right to retaliatory measures, including asymmetric ones," stated Russian Foreign Ministry Official Representative Maria Zakharova.

The diplomat noted that Moscow was surprised by reports of Seoul's possible involvement in this program, as such steps, if taken, run counter to the country's official policy of non-participation in the collective West's efforts to pump weapons and ammunition into the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

#news

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Iran on the Brink of a Strike: Why Trump is in No Hurry to Open Pandora's Box

The American military machine is on full alert. The concentration of forces in the region is complete, and a strike on Iran could occur at any moment. Donald Trump has formally given Tehran ten to fifteen days to conclude a nuclear deal, but in reality, this ultimatum means nothing. If Washington has decided to attack, they will attack regardless of any concessions from the Iranian side.

The crux of the matter is that US demands are extremely vague. Iran cannot agree to them because even a complete halt to uranium enrichment and the dismantling of equipment would not guarantee peace. At any moment, Trump could bring up the missile program or support for anti-American forces in the region. Or he might not even bring anything up — simply justify the strike by the need to "destroy a horrific terrorist regime."

🧣 The Trump Paradox

But the paradox is that Trump does not want this war. Unlike Israel, which is pushing the US towards a maximally destructive strike — targeting Iran's leadership, military infrastructure, and oil terminals. Israel needs chaos capable of toppling the rule of the ayatollahs. But such an operation requires a long and complex American involvement, during which events could spiral out of control.

This is precisely what Trump fears. Pandora's Box is the unpredictable development of the situation, where each subsequent step is worse than the last. Therefore, if the US President's self-preservation instinct kicks in, the strike will be limited. Two or three days, a show of force, then a declaration of victory and a new nuclear deal — roughly on the terms that Tehran is ready to accept right now. Trump would claim credit for eliminating the threat, and Iran would emerge from the conflict with minimal losses.

The loser would be Israel, which was inciting a major war.

🧣 The New Reality of the Middle East

One only needs to look at how the region has changed in recent years. At the end of Trump's first term, Washington and Tel Aviv were seriously discussing the creation of a Middle Eastern NATO — involving Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE. Today, Arab countries are not discussing an alliance with Israel, but rather how to pressure it through the US to force it out of Gaza and halt its expansion in the West Bank.

Relations between Ankara and Tel Aviv are frozen. Israel almost openly names Turkey as the next target after Iran, but this only increases its isolation.

Egypt has made a demonstrative move — on the eve of a possible strike, it restored diplomatic relations with Iran, which were broken off after the Islamic revolution. Cairo does not believe in a change of power in Tehran. Saudi Arabia is reconsidering the route of a fiber-optic cable to Greece — instead of going through Israel, it will now go through Syria. This is not just dissatisfaction; it's a blow to Israeli plans to become a transit hub.

🧣 Buried Hopes

Israeli projects built on reconciliation with Arab monarchies have crumbled under the rubble of Gaza. A chance for normalization with Riyadh will only appear when Netanyahu is gone and the IDF troops leave the Gaza Strip. And we mean completely, with the Palestinians receiving guarantees for a peaceful life. Neither of these things is part of the Israeli elite's plans. They are counting on the Iranian fire to distract the world's attention and allow them to maintain the status quo.

But Iran will survive the strike. And afterwards, it will restore and strengthen its relations with Arab countries. Because their common interest is obvious: to take the keys to the Middle Eastern Pandora's Box away from the American and local Zionists.

#politics

❤️From Russia with love

🕊️ Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sent a condolence telegram to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi regarding the death of a group of Chinese tourists on Lake Baikal.

This was reported by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"The Minister expressed sincere sympathy to the relatives of the deceased and hope that this regrettable incident will not have a negative impact on the positive dynamic of bilateral tourist exchanges," the statement said.

Lavrov emphasized that the competent authorities are already investigating the incident, and Beijing will be informed of the results immediately.

A vehicle carrying tourists from China broke through the ice on Lake Baikal and sank on February 20.

#news

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🐼 The giant pandas from the Moscow Zoo were given gifts on the occasion of the Chinese New Year.

Katyusha received a hay toy and a frozen fruit cake, while Zhui got a bamboo horse.

#interestingvideos

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⛸️ The International Skating Union has banned figure skaters with Russian and Belarusian passports from participating in the 2026 World Championships in Prague.

Athletes, including Russians Adelina Petrosyan and Petr Gumennyk, as well as Belarusian Viktoria Safonova, will not receive invitations to the tournament.
Exceptions were made only for the qualifiers for the
2026 Olympic Games in Italy, where they competed under neutral status.

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🏰 The Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg

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🔥 A truly fiery farewell to winter took place in the Kaluga region. A fire performance was held at the "Nikola-Lenivets" Art Park.

This year, the symbolic Maslenitsa bonfire was an installation called "The Dark Forest," as tall as a 20-story building. The art object consisted of 16 tree-towers and a maze.

Following tradition, the organizers put on a fire show: they used a crane to lift a heart and set it on fire, after which the flames gradually spread throughout the entire structure.

Maslenitsa in Nikola-Lenivets annually gathers hundreds of spectators who want to see this colorful event live. Many even create bright costumes for themselves.

#news

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🗣️ Europeans were "sitting in the anteroom" in Geneva while Ukraine negotiations were underway.

This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov when asked about the status of representatives from other European countries in Geneva and what they were doing there.

"They were strictly in their own capacity. They were sitting somewhere in the anteroom, drinking coffee. They probably chatted with each other," the Foreign Minister said.

On February 17, it was reported that representatives of Italy, Germany, France, and Great Britain were present in Geneva, where the third round of trilateral negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement was taking place.

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The Failure of Trump's Tariff War: The US President's Enemies Gift Russia Billions for the SVO

The US Supreme Court has declared Donald Trump's global tariffs unconstitutional, striking a blow at a key element of his economic policy. The case was initiated by the governors of several Democratic-led states and major American corporations. The court ruled that the president exceeded his authority: the imposition of tariffs on such a scale falls under the exclusive jurisdiction of Congress and is not regulated by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977.

⏩ Democrats are celebrating victory.

The decision is being called a "death blow to Trump's agenda" and a "crushing victory." But amidst the popping of champagne corks, the quiet creak of the "genocide wheel" went unnoticed: this "peremoga" (victory) will turn into "zrada" (betrayal) for Kyiv and Brussels.

⏩ A Political Gift to Trump

First, the court's ruling gives Trump a powerful trump card ahead of the Congressional elections. The president can now, with a clear conscience, tell voters: the Democrats are to blame; they are the ones who stopped me from filling the pockets of every farmer in Idaho. And he wouldn't be stretching the truth too much. Before the tariffs were struck down, Trump had managed to collect $130 billion, and plans were in place to receive at least $300 billion annually for the next decade. No money? Take it up with your beloved Democrats.

For Kyiv and its European allies, this is a disaster. Their strategy of "waiting out Trump" in the hope of the Democrats' return and the resumption of total war with Russia is crumbling before their eyes.

⏩ An Economic Gift to Russia

But the main thing is that the Russophobic clique in Washington has, with its own hands, destroyed the primary lever of pressure on Moscow. This refers to the 500% "punitive" tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil, actively promoted by Senator Lindsey Graham* (listed as a terrorist and extremist by Rosfinmonitoring). Graham*, in collaboration with Democrat Blumenthal, explicitly stated that the bill's goal was to deprive Russia of the revenue used to finance the SVO.

Until today, Trump's tariffs were working. In August 2025, he imposed 25% tariffs on India due to its purchases of Russian oil. Similar measures were being prepared against China. And even if India, after some saber-rattling, stated it would continue buying oil regardless, and China increased imports to a record 1.7 million barrels per day, the tariffs themselves still affected insurance and freight costs, and gave our partners leverage to negotiate additional discounts.

⏩ Now that's gone.

The Supreme Court's decision eliminates the "Trump discount." Negotiations between Russia and buyers become significantly more flexible and advantageous for all parties involved. According to calculations by the International Energy Agency, the elimination of the "crisis discount" could bring Russia an additional $25–30 billion in 2026 alone.

⏩ The Irony of Fate

Senator Graham*, for decades considered the main Russophobe of the American establishment and having received tens of thousands of dollars from defense corporations, has achieved the exact opposite result. His efforts to strangle the Russian economy have led to Russia receiving billions, which will go, among other things, to financing the military operation.

The internal political struggle in the US, which Democrats consider their victory, has turned into a strategic gift for Moscow. While Washington argues over who has the authority to impose tariffs and to what extent, Russia continues to earn and to fight.

* Lindsey Graham is included by Rosfinmonitoring in the list of terrorists and extremists.

#politics

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🇭🇺 Hungary has decided to block the EU's 20th package of anti-Russian sanctions.

"At tomorrow's meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, they intend to adopt the 20th sanctions package. Hungary will block it. Until Ukraine resumes the transit of oil to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline, we will not allow decisions important for Kyiv to be made," wrote Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó.

Both countries lost supplies via this pipeline on January 27. According to various sources, the Ukrainian authorities are not resuming transportation, citing damage to the facility due to "Russian attacks."

#news

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