Really? I filled up my tank last night...

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I’m not saying, hold your breath, I’m just suggesting that you be prepared that it actually works out.

Because ultimately, we do want it to work out.

We don’t want the craziness to continue.

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You will be able to find the following East Calling exclusives with these hashtags:

#TheWiners

-for all of the content related to "The Winers" featuring Ryan

#VneshVrag

-for Mikhail Borkunov's posts (also his colleagues' works)

#EastCallingTranslations

-for Russian videos which Jelena translates herself.

#MaratBattlefieldSummaries

-for the reports from Marat Khairullin

#EastCallingInterviews

-for our exclusive interviews with our special and often recurring guests.

#MomentofZin

-if you like to laugh



We may add more later!

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🇺🇸⚔️🇮🇷 Gulf energy output is unlikely to return to pre-war levels for about two years, according to the head of the International Energy Agency.

In an interview with Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Fatih Birol said recovery will vary by country—Iraq will take significantly longer than Saudi Arabia—but overall timelines point to a roughly two-year rebound.

He also warned that markets are underestimating the impact of a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz. While oil prices have stayed below $100 per barrel this week, that stability may not last.

Pre-war shipments are still arriving, but no new tankers were loaded in March, cutting off fresh supply to Asia. That shortfall is now starting to show. If Hormuz remains closed, expect significantly higher energy prices.

Source

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On April 17, 2026, at least 10 vessels approaching the Strait of Hormuz from the Persian Gulf were reported to have turned back. This comes amid a "split reality" in the vital waterway as the United States and Iran announced it was "completely open" following a ceasefire in Lebanon, yet maintained conflicting enforcement measures on the ground.

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The Wall Street Journal: Iran has told mediators that it will continue to limit the number of ships allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and will collect tolls for the remaining duration of the ceasefire.

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India may send several thousand military personnel to Russia as part of a new agreement between Moscow and Delhi. The agreement includes joint exercises, humanitarian missions, and disaster response. Each country will be able to deploy up to 3,000 military personnel, up to 10 aircraft, and up to 5 ships on the territory of its partner. 

Source: Банкста
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Trump's White House faith adviser Paula White: "To say 'no' to President Trump is to say 'no' to God."

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. Believe me. Nobody comes to the Father except through me—nobody. If you really know me—and everyone knows me, I'm very famous—you'll know the Father. Tremendous Father. From now on, you know him. You've seen him. It's beautiful.”

Philip said, “Lord, just show us the Father.” And Trump spake, “Philip, have you been with me this whole time—years, many years—and you still don't know me? That's sad. If you've seen me—and everyone has, huge crowds—you've seen the Father. I'm in the Father, he's in me. We have a very strong relationship. The words I say? Not my words. The Father's words. He's doing the work. And he's doing a fantastic job. Really great.”

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The US has once again lifted sanctions on Russian oil for a month.

Washington has allowed operations to sell Russian oil loaded onto tankers before April 17 until May 16.

The previous sanctions relief expired last weekend. Recently, the US Department of Energy stated that it had no intention of lifting sanctions again.

But now, as we can see, the concept has changed.

Perhaps, the pause in sanctions suspension was agreed upon in advance by Moscow and Washington, so that the Russians could send more tankers out to sea before April 17.

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The Ruble is actually worth more vs the Euro than it was 5 years ago, nearly a year prior to the SMO.

💰💰💰

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"Reading Soviet science fiction texts from the 1950s clearly demonstrates how social changes in the USSR influenced the image of the future in its technological and human dimensions."

Andrey Suleimenov, an associate professor at Lobachevsky University (Nizhny Novgorod), analyzed how the Red Space in Stalinist "near-range" science fiction transitioned to philosophical issues.

Source: Взгляд
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My favourite is Ivan Efremov

🌒@EastCalling

АДЕКВАТ Z writes,

We'll take a close look at the Americans' mischievous little hands. It'll be very funny.

Last weekend: a month has passed during which the Americans sort of allowed us to sell our oil.

Monday: Urals soars like a candle from 96 to 120. Whether it's a consequence or not, I have no idea, but it happened anyway.

Wednesday: the sweet-talking US Treasury Secretary confidently confirms that their so-called permission won't be extended.

This entire week: there's not the slightest sign that the lack of this so-called permission is having any impact on buyers' behavior, prices, or our shipments.

Friday: the Iranian Foreign Minister posts a message from which everyone immediately concludes that the Strait of Hormuz is fully and unrestrictedly open.

Later Friday: Trump unleashes a series of rants, claiming that victory over Iran is almost achieved, all of the demands on Iran have been met, and all that remains is to formalize it.

Later Friday: oil plummets on this basis, insiders make another few hundred million on this move, and the Ukrainians are celebrating and debating whether Russia will collapse in May or even April.

Later Friday: several official Iranian figures clarify that the Strait regime hasn't changed since the ceasefire and that this specifically means that passage remains severely restricted, agreed upon with the Persians and subject to payment.

Later Friday: a dozen or so ships that had rushed into the Strait on both sides, having believed all this nonsense, turn around at the nearest approaches, and oil recoups about half of its fall, making it clear that the other half is just a matter of time.

Morning of Saturday: the Americans issue a so-called permission to buy our oil for the next month.

I'm not even going to mock this comprehensively, because everything described speaks for itself. I'll just note with a stone-faced expression that the latest event in this chain says a lot about the prospects of the so-called peace process. Prospects that your humble servant has characterized so many times that I won't even repeat them now.

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To piggy-back on this post, I've wanted to write more about the Soviet influence on American science fiction of the 50s, 60s, and 70s.

As a child, I was always fascinated by this depiction of the future, described as a break with capitalism and often portrayed as utopian and transformative. Clean, well-managed arcologies, color-coded jumpsuits, technological wonders, and management solving our basic needs—all of these jump to mind from my immediate memory. These stories always had conflicts, as a work of fiction would be boring without them, but these settings were always hung on the idea that the scarcity of the past had been effectively solved.

Now, jump to our modern cyberpunk world, which is defined by inequality, scarcity, and destabilization. Technology is more of an opiate to distract us from an increasingly precarious existence. The fall of the USSR really signified the end of the techno-utopian Sci-Fi dream.

David Graeber explains as much in his speech "The Future as Dream Time." Basically, he explains that there can be no redemptive capitalism, and even the proponents of capitalism don't argue that it exists. They simply argue that no better world can exist than what capitalism offers, and the system is adept at convincing everyone of this fact.

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Some parts of David Graeber's speech are a bit dated now. Specifically, "where are the machines we can talk to?"

Of course, we even managed to screw that up.))

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On Saturday morning, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that control of the waterway has "reverted to its previous state". This effectively shuts down the passage for many commercial vessels that do not meet Iranian conditions, such as paying tolls.

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Via Lost Armour:

An unexpected trophy

As a result of a kinetic interception by the "Elka" air defense drone on an enemy "Shark-M" aircraft-type UAV, the UAV's parachute system deployed, and the enemy UAV was captured with minimal damage by soldiers of the 16th Special Forces Brigade operating on the Krasnolimansky direction.

Video: @Secrets_of_Vinakos

"Elka" statistics: https://lostarmour.info/tags/elka

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Trump: If a deal is not reached by Wednesday, we'll have to start dropping bombs again.

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The IRGC opened fire on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz area, according to Clash Report.

Two ships of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps approached the tanker, located approximately 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman, and opened fire.

Currently, the vessel and its crew are safe.

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Ukrainian media:

The forced deportation of Ukrainian men from Europe to Ukraine is already happening, said MP Gorbenko. According to him, this applies to those who violate the law in the host countries.

They are already being sent to Ukraine, where they are met at the border by the TCC.

"There are already such cases of deportation of our male citizens, even without a decision by Merkel or Tusk. Men who have violated the law are forcibly deported, and there is already such a practice where they are deported to the border of Ukraine, to crossing points where they are met by the TCC and handed summonses," said Gorbenko.

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Via Sofa General Staff:

A UAZ survives multiple drone attacks and keeps on driving!

🌒@EastCalling