🔥 The Russian Armed Forces carried out six group strikes with high-precision long-range weapons and drones against targets in Ukraine in response to Kyiv's terrorist attacks on civilian targets in Russia, the Defense Ministry reported.

Targeted:

▪️Enterprises of the military-industrial complex.

▪️Objects of the fuel and energy, transport and port infrastructure used in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

▪️Military airfields.

▪️Places of assembly, storage and preparation for the launch of strike drones.

▪️Temporary dislocation points of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries.

💥50 guided aerial bombs, eight HIMARS rockets, a long-range guided missile "Neptune" and 2,464 UAVs were shot down by air defense systems.

Source: Zvezda
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🌒@EastCalling

‼️193 Russian servicemen returned from the territory controlled by the Kiev regime, the Defense Ministry reported. In exchange, 193 prisoners of war of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were handed over.

Our soldiers are in Belarus, where they are receiving the necessary psychological and medical assistance. They will be transported to Russia for treatment and rehabilitation in the Defense Ministry's medical facilities.

📍During the return of Russian servicemen from captivity, humanitarian mediation efforts were provided by the United Arab Emirates and the USA.

Source: Zvezda
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🌒@EastCalling

Europe and Asia have been receiving US protection for free for decades, but that time has passed, said Secretary of War Hegseth.

The Pentagon chief added that Washington needs allies who understand that such relations are "not a one-way street."

🌒@EastCalling

Nothing but lies and hypocrisy.

While labeling Iranian threats as piracy, Hegseth simultaneously announced and defended a "full blockade" of Iranian ports enforced by the U.S. Navy.

On April 19, 2026, the destroyer USS Spruance fired its 5-inch deck gun directly into the engine room of the M/V Touska, a 900-foot Iranian cargo ship.

After blowing a hole in the engine room, U.S. Marines fast-roped onto the deck to seize the vessel.

Hegseth is the one who has faced sharp criticism for mocking "stupid rules of engagement." During the conflict, he has been accused of overseeing strikes that killed hundreds of civilians, including a Tomahawk missile strike on an elementary school.

Hegseth openly stated on March 24, 2026, that the U.S. "negotiates with bombs," declaring that military pressure would continue until Iran met American demands.

The American/Israeli attack on Iran is illegitimate, immoral, and idiotic.

So who are the terrorists and pirates?

🌒@EastCalling

АДЕКВАТ Z comments on the decision of the Russian bank today to potentially slow reductions in the interest rate:

The Central Bank continues to lower the key rate with extreme caution: for the fifth time in a row, it is reduced by half a percentage point. And judging by the fact that the estimated average annual rate has now been revised to the range of 14–14.5%, this particular step size appears to remain the baseline decision through the end of the year, resulting in a rate of around 12% by year-end.

On the one hand, refraining from drastic moves means that the unpleasant economic dynamics seen in January–February not only do not require emergency measures but are generally fading away—which was expected, including after the start of the Iranian war. On the other hand, the abnormally strong ruble remains a significant problem for the budget and exporters—but the risks of driving the exchange rate down through a sharper key rate cut were, evidently, deemed unacceptable; the ruble, however, should (we hope) now decline due to the resumption of the budget rule in May, i.e., purchases of foreign currency with oil windfall revenues. Thirdly, the transition of the Iranian war’s consequences into a long-term phase—now seemingly obvious to everyone—could itself generate inflationary pressures, and the Central Bank must contend with this probability as well. Fourthly, everything that will happen—or could happen—further in the Middle East inherently creates the very high level of uncertainty that the Central Bank explicitly cites when commenting on its decision, and this factor also compels greater caution than might be warranted in calmer circumstances.

All these considerations, of course, are merely the tip of the iceberg; the Central Bank has far more factors to account for. And if, even though a sharper rate cut would momentarily (and only momentarily) ease conditions for the economy and the budget, the temptation to do so has been resisted, then this decision should be accepted as a given—one that will yield its effects over a longer horizon. The Central Bank is not, despite various populist (to use a very mild epithet) agitation, an enemy of the country, and its ability to act in the best common interests, taking into account everything that must be considered, without regard to such agitation, is itself immensely valuable.

🌒@EastCalling

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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An Israeli military bulldozer, during the invasion of southern Lebanon, destroyed a statue in the Saint George sanctuary in the village of Yarun.

Israel systematically and deliberately destroys Christian and Islamic holy sites in southern Lebanon and Palestine.

Earlier, a photo was published of IDF soldiers destroying a statue of Jesus Christ with a sledgehammer.

Source: Russian media
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Commentary from a Russian chat where the video was posted (translation):

What is the difference between the IDF and ISIS? They also destroyed monuments

🌒@EastCalling

More than 30 sloths from Guyana and Peru, intended for a new entertainment center in Orlando, died in the USA due to improper storage in a warehouse, according to a report by an inspector of the Florida Wildlife Commission, a document of which is available to RIA Novosti.

Between December 2024 and February 2025, the animals arrived at a warehouse in Orlando, which was not ready to receive them, as the building lacked water supply and stable electricity, according to the inspector's report.

Some of the sloths died from hypothermia, as the animals were left in temperatures around 8 degrees. Other animals died during transportation, and the rest - from extreme exhaustion, according to the report studied by RIA Novosti.

During the subsequent inspection, inspectors found violations in the care of the surviving individuals, but the owner only received verbal warnings without being fined.
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I have no words...

🌒@EastCalling

АДЕКВАТ Z writes,

The third American aircraft carrier group has arrived in the Middle East theater. China is again urging its citizens to evacuate from Iran. There is no sign of progress in the resumption of negotiation efforts. And it's Friday again: it's long been a habit for aggressors to unleash chaos on the weekend to allow markets to calm down a bit.

Despite all of the above, it seems that the fun won't resume anytime soon: Trump still needs to mature before resuming his actions. In the sense that he seems to seriously believe that with his blockade games, despite their objective futility, time is working against Iran. And that in the upcoming strike, it's necessary to invest all available strength - there will be almost nothing left to strike with in the third round, which is why the string of transport aircraft to the region continues unabated.

Despite the enormous volatility and variability of the processes, I'll still dare to make a prediction: nothing fundamentally will change in the region in the next week or two. The illusion that there's no need to continue will only dissipate over time, and the deployment of additional forces and especially resources will be completed. The effect of the working stranglehold will multiply during this time, which will add extra color to both the decisions that need to be made and their consequences.

🌒@EastCalling

Via Geranium Chronicles:

Iran continues to load oil onto supertankers, despite the US blockade, - Bloomberg

Satellite images from the European Union's Sentinel-1, taken on Monday, show one super-tanker capable of transporting about 2 million barrels of oil, docked at a berth on Kharg Island. In an earlier image taken on Saturday, there were no docked vessels at Kharg.

The US actions will likely eventually force Iran to reduce production if the tankers cannot pass through. This step "will limit volumes mechanically, not just financially, leaving much less room for circumventing trade and eventually forcing Iran to reduce production," analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. believe. However, this process will not be quick. Iran has available storage for 90 million barrels and will be able to maintain production at the current level - about 3.5 million barrels per day - for about two months, even if the US blockade successfully stops the country's exports. 🧐

🌒@EastCalling

CNN: The shock of the Asian goods supply chain will soon reach the US

🟢 Gas stations are rationing fuel. Hospitals are facing shortages of medical equipment. People have started stockpiling plastic bags, and factories are struggling with packaging crises.

🟢 All these events are currently happening in Asia; and this could soon become a serious problem for the US, as about half of American consumer goods are supplied from Asia.

🟢 If Asian factories are grappling with raw material shortages, should Americans also expect product shortages? Probably yes, but not right now; at least not on a large or severe scale.

🟢 However, the longer the Strait of Hormuz blockage lasts, the harder it will be for the US to escape the problems accumulating in other parts of the world.

🌒@EastCalling

The Russian Armed Forces carried out a series of massive strikes on targets in Ukraine.

Local blogs report that the attack on the Dnepropetrovsk and Kyiv regions lasted for eight hours.

There are also reports of attacks in the Chernigov and Sumy regions.

Source: Russian media
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🌒@EastCalling

Pavel Durov accused the French authorities of selling businessmens' data to criminals

Source: СВЕЖЕСТИ
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🌒@EastCalling